14-year-old boy jumps to death from Hudson Yards Vessel
Category: News & Politics
Via: john-russell • 3 years ago • 12 commentsBy: Larry Celona, Reuven Fentonand Craig McCarthy (New York Post)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Larry Celona, Reuven FentonandCraig McCarthy
July 29, 2021 | 3:04pm |Updated July 29, 2021 | 7:11pm
A 14-year-old boy jumped to his death from the Vessel at the Hudson Yards Thursday afternoon in front of his horrified family — and the Midtown tourist attraction may shut down for good over the latest death.
The tragic teen leaped from the eighth story of the structure at West 33rd Street and 10th Avenue and was pronounced dead just before 1 p.m., police and sources said.
"We are heartbroken by this tragedy and our thoughts are with the family of the young person who lost his life," Hudson Yards spokeswoman Kimberly Winston said in a statement.
"We are conducting a full investigation. The Vessel is currently closed."
That may be the case forever, according to the Daily Beast, which spoke to the structure's billionaire developer Stephen Ross.
The 14-year-old leaped from the eighth story of the Vessel shortly before 1 p.m.William Farrington
He told the outlet that he is weighing whether to shut down the Vessel for good following the latest suicide there — the fourth in two years.
"We thought we did everything that would really prevent this," Ross said. "It's hard to really fathom how something like that could happen."
Sources said the boy, who is from New Jersey, was with his parents, sister and grandmother at the time — and said nothing before the fatal leap.
His family declined to comment.
Anthony DeMayo, a construction worker who was across the street at the time, recalled hearing "the bang" when the boy hit the ground.
"That's not a sound I'll ever forget," DeMayo said. "It's horrifying that this keeps happening. You can see looking at the barriers that they're easy enough to climb over."
Irina Popov, a tourist from Massachusetts, agreed that there are only so many precautions that can be put in place.
"Once you're inside nobody makes you stay close to your buddy," she said. "There are a couple of security guards on every level, but if you want to jump there's no way anyone can really stop you."
The boy, whose name is being withheld by The Post, is the fourth person to commit suicide at the tourist attraction since it opened two years ago.
The 150-foot vertical sculpture was shuttered for four months this year following a spate of suicides.
It reopened in May, but the owner decided not to make any changes to affect the aesthetics.
Instead, a safety plan was put in place requiring people to visit in groups of at least two. "Screening procedures to detect high-risk behaviors" were also implemented.
Ross told the Daily Beast the security staff are located on every level of the Vessel to watch for people in distress.
But, he noted, "A family of five doesn't fit any profile."
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This structure is categorized as a sculpture, and I take it is a tourist attraction for that part of Manhattan.
I'm a little surprised this thing ever got city approval. There is a tiny percentage of people who will become disoriented inside this structure and if they are already psychologically fragile it could lead to something self destructive. Todays suicide was the fourth at the location.
If nothing else it is now known as a suicide magnet and that alone will probably doom it to closure.
As a way to prevent suicides, on a scale of 1 to 10 this "precaution" was about a -5.
Pretty weak procedures but then again if people are determined to commit suicide there really isn't much to stop them.
I think there is a little more to it than that. I think there is something about the design of this structure that encouraged it.
That is certainly possible. It hard to tell but the railing looks to be 3 to 4 feet high which really isn't going to stop anyone.
I forget the name of the phobia , but there is one. Its not a fear of heights per se, but a fear of wanting to jump from a high location.
Anoon...very sad to think that this is the answer a 14 year old lad came up with..
His poor family must have been beside themselves after it..
14 and life is no longer worth living..
There are countless places to suicide jump in NYC.
Of course, but there have been 4 at this place in 2 years. This place is supposed to be fun.
About 100 of the nearly 500 suicides each year in NYC are jumpers. I do not have good current numbers but suicides are reportedly due to evictions. The moratoriums are expiring and so some pent up problems are hitting the streets. Literally...
This "Vessel" is an amusement. Its not the same thing as people jumping from the roof of an office building or condo building. Without doubt it will be more well known for the jumpers than for the amazing design.
I was about to enter an office building in downtown Chicago one time when I noticed police in front of the building and a tarp covering something in the middle of the street. A guy had been at his lawyers office on the 19th floor. I guess he got some bad news from his lawyer because the guy walked out in the hallway, opened up a window on the street side and jumped out.