A 14-year-old boy passed away after he jumped from The Vessel at Hudson Yards in New York City.
The teen from New Jersey reportedly leaped from the 8th floor just before 1 pm Thursday in front of his horrified parents, grandmother, and sister.
This marked the fourth suicide at the tourist attraction since it opened in 2019 and the developer, Stephen Ross, is now considering closing the $200 million structure.
Speaking to The Daily Beast, Ross said: “We thought we did everything that would really prevent this. It’s hard to really fathom how something like that could happen. But you know, I feel terrible for the family.”
The structure had just opened again two months ago after three other people took their own lives.
In an effort to prevent more suicides, new rules were recently drawn up, including a ban on solo visitors. Employees were also placed around the structure checking for distressed visitors.
According to reports, there was an “enhanced guest engagement and screening procedures to detect high-risk behaviors among visitors” to “significantly enhance the safety of the experience.”
Security forces and staff were tripled, and signs were displayed offering help to individuals in distress.
The 14-year-old boy who took his own life was with his parents, grandmother, and sister.
“A family of five doesn’t fit any profile,” Ross said.
Spokeswoman Kimberly Winston added: “We are heartbroken by this tragedy and our thoughts are with the family of the young person who lost their life. We are conducting a full investigation.”
The developer explained that the tourist attraction is to be closed as they discuss over whether it should open again in the future.
“I want to see every possibility we can do. I mean, we thought we had covered everything,” Ross said.
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