A 34-year-old man died after a fall from the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan on Wednesday, July 30.
Police responded to a 911 call at around 5:26pm, the New York Police Department (NYPD) told Hyperallergic. Upon arrival at 99 Gansevoort Street, they found the man “unconscious and unresponsive on the sidewalk outside the location with injuries indicative of falling from an elevated position.”
Police could not confirm whether the man fell accidentally or jumped, but Whitney Museum Director Scott Rothkopf told staff in an email Wednesday evening that “an individual jumped from Whitney property onto the plaza below,” as first reported by Artnews and confirmed by Hyperallergic.
The museum’s nine-story building in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, inaugurated in 2015, features tiers of terraces and outdoor exhibition spaces connected by an exterior staircase.
“Authorities are still determining the details, but we are devastated that a visitor lost their life,” a Whitney Museum spokesperson told Hyperallergic. “Our thoughts are with their family and friends, and with our staff, visitors and neighbors who were nearby when it occurred.” The Whitney will remain closed today, Thursday, July 31.
The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of the family, police said. The investigation remains ongoing.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
