Woman Falls with Child from Hell’s Kitchen Building

A woman clutching a young girl fell from the roof of a Hell’s Kitchen building on Sunday afternoon. Both were killed in the fall, police and sources told the New York Post.

The woman and child fell from the building at 540 W53rd Street shortly before 2 p.m. The New York Daily News reports that the 39-year-old mother was from Brooklyn and that her child was believed to be between 4 and 5 years old. Both were taken to a local hospital where they were declared dead.

The 13-story building is a joint project between Clinton Housing Development Corporation (CHDC) and developers Taconic Investment Partners and has over 100 affordable housing units.

The woman and daughter were named as Oksana Patchin, 39, and 5-year-old, Olivia Patchin.

Police sources and building residents told the New York Post that the mother, who lived in Prospect Heights, was visiting her friend in the building. Oksana had asked for the friend’s keycard, saying she wanted to show her daughter the view from the roof. On the roof, cameras captured the mother pacing around, before climbing over a safety gate.

Joe Restuccia, Executive Director of CHDC told us: “What happened on Sunday is a heartbreaking tragedy, there are no other words. Our concern now is for the tenants of 540 West 53rd and CHDC staff. Our social service partner, the Hudson Guild, has agreed to provide counseling and support to everyone affected. I also want to thank the officers and detectives of Midtown North for their kindness and the respect they showed on Sunday to tenants and staff as this difficult situation unfolded. It was a very difficult day.”

We will update this story as we get more details.

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 suicidal crisis or emotional distress.