The Queens resident who died after falling from a Times Square rooftop bar’s 54th story has been identified as aspiring model Elizabeth Gaglewski.
Friends and relatives described Gaglewski as “kind” and compassionate.
Police are looking into whether she leapt or if she could have fallen accidentally on Wednesday.
Her uncle Tony Smith told The New York Post, “She was simply a nice girl, a lovely and kind, caring youngster.”
She was a nice, loving, and gentle child, according to her aunt Janet.
They remained silent when asked whether she was dealing with mental health issues.
Smith said that they were awaiting the investigation’s findings.
The bartenders unsuccessfully attempted to catch Gaglewski before she dropped 27 storeys and hit a ledge of the hotel’s tower.
Other witnesses informed authorities that the lady was’seen leaping’ to her death on Wednesday at 3:30 pm.
She was seen making a phone conversation, climbing up on some furniture, and then leaping from the terrace’s edge.
The New York Daily News quoted a Hyatt employee as saying, “She strolled straight past me and I didn’t think anything of it.” She had a reservation at the bar; she was a young girl.
The employee said, “It’s simple (to leap) since the tables and chairs are really up to the glass,” as she described what transpired next.
“She made no comment.”
Everyone ran over shouting, “She jumped! She leaped!” I first believed they were performing.
The worker told the Daily News, “The lady cleaning on the 27th floor heard the collision and discovered her corpse on the balcony.”
We’re fortunate that she avoided hitting the sidewalk. It’s insane.
A description of the club claims that it is “perched above the brilliant lights of Times Square.”
It is referred to be New York City’s “highest open-air hotel rooftop bar” on the website.
The 26-year-old was discovered on the balcony motionless and unconscious, and she was declared dead at the spot.
The municipal medical examiner will identify her official cause of death.
Police have not revealed whether the lady was a visitor to the reservation-only bar or a guest at the hotel.
The Hyatt location’s standard rooms go upwards of $600 per night.
The hotel’s website states that guests may “soak up spectacular river-to-river views of the Chrysler Building and lower Manhattan from 54 storeys above at New York City’s tallest open-air hotel rooftop bar.”
As it says on its website, “Bar 54 is an outstanding venue offering stylish, intimate inside space and an enormous outside terrace – great for savoring exquisite artisan cocktails, fine wines, and light gourmet cuisine.”
A hotel staffer said the bar remained closed the remainder of Wednesday.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation General Manager Tom Blundell issued a statement in which he said: “We are profoundly saddened by the event that took place this afternoon at our hotel and our prayers go out to the individual’s family and all who have been touched.”
We are working closely with the local law enforcement, and you should contact them with any questions.