Tragedy as 91-Year-Old US Marine Vet Dies by Jumping from New York City High-Rise
A 91-year-old former Marine died Wednesday after jumping to his death from a New York City luxury high-rise apartment.
“Yes, we’re incredibly sad,”‘ Harold Tekel’s daughter Terry told the Daily Mail in an exclusive report.
Tekel leaped from the 17th floor of the 35-story building, which overlooks Central Park, at around 7 a.m., the New York Post reported.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
No foul play was suspected.
In fact, police said Tekel “had apparently attempted ‘something similar’ a couple of weeks ago,” the Post reported.
“The building, 200 Central Park South, is one of the most desired residences in Manhattan, as it impressively faces all of the park to the north with Columbus Circle one block to the west,” according to the Daily Mail.
Apartments in the building are on the market for as much as $11.5 million, and some of the smaller units rent for $14,500 a month.
The building has been home to a number of famous people, including actresses Raquel Welch, Doris Roberts and television host Durward Kirby, the Mail reported.
Tekel lived in the building with his 88-year-old wife, Rochelle.
The Daily Mail said commuters on their way to work passed the scene, where a white tarp covered the body as it lay in a cordoned-off area of Seventh Avenue Wednesday.
Tekel’s daughter told the outlet that her father was “always compassionate, optimistic and always kind with an incredible sense of the humorous.”
She frequently posted tributes to his father on Veteran’s Day and other occasions, expressing her pride in his service, according to the report.
Police told the Post just hours before Tekel died on Wednesday, another person had jumped to his death from the sixth floor of a nearby building at around 4:30 a.m.
That person was identified only as a 66-year-old man.
The Post listed suicide resource information for those struggling with suicidal thoughts or other mental health issues, including the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988.
If online, go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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