Joley Aristhee fell to his death from the roof of a Hell’s Kitchen building on Sunday morning after a traffic stop. NYPD pulled over a car on W48th Street heading towards Times Square at around 1:50am. Police said the stop was for illegally tinted windows, as the vehicle came to a halt it hit a parked vehicle and the driver fled. The incident was first reported by the New York Post.
NYPD officers gave chase but lost the man. Shortly after, police received a report of a man on the roof of a building on W48th Street. On arrival at the building, officers found Aristhee on the ground, still alive, and tried to resuscitate him. In a New York Post video, Aristhee can be seen still struggling for life as he was stretchered to an ambulance while being given first aid.
The initial stop was at around 1:50am this morning. Aristhee was found in the courtyard between 345 and 347 W48th Street and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The building super, who gave his name to the Post as Steve P, said: “He tried to cross over, and he got tangled up in that spike thing that’s a deterrent for people to go to this roof.”
The incident added to the distress felt in the neighborhood. Just a week ago, Cheslie Kryst — a TV presenter and former Miss USA, fell to her death from the Orion luxury condo just 6 blocks away on W42nd Street.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 160 crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 1-800-273-8255. It is available to anyone in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress.