Senior Citizen Jumps From Luxury Apartment Facing Central Park In Apparent Suicide
An elderly man jumped off a luxury condominium building located at 200 Central Park South on the morning of July 19. Police said the man was 91 years old. He and his wife reportedly faced health issues.
| 22 Jul 2023 | 11:09
A white tarp seen over the body of a man that leaped from the 17th floor of 200 Central Park South on Wednesday, July 19. (
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The exterior of 200 Central Park South. On the morning of Wednesday, July 19th, a man reportedly jumped from an apartment on the 17th floor of the 34-story building to his death. (
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An elderly man is dead after jumping from a luxury apartment building in Manhattan on the morning of July 19, the NYPD said.
The 91 year-old, identified as Harold Tekel, jumped from the 17th floor of the 34-story building located at 200 Central Park South. It appears that the man leaped from his own apartment building. Tekel was reportedly a Marine veteran devastated by his wife Rochelle’s advancing illness and his own battle with declining eyesight.
EMS and police responded to the scene at around 6:30 a.m. on July 19, laying a white tarp over the man.
One of the man’s neighbors told The New York Post that the man already attempted suicide in the weeks prior. Tekel’s daughter Marci told the same outlet that “I think it came to a point where he figured out he couldn’t save my mom and he had a problem with his eyes and he was losing his eyesight.” She added that “I never expected this from him.”
He landed on the sidewalk of the Seventh Avenue side of the building and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
According to StreetEasy, 200 Central Park South “is a premier white-glove cooperative building on the most desired Central Park South block–impressively facing all of Central Park.” It was built by Bernard Spitzer and Melvin D. Lipman in 1963, with units ranging from $1.4 million to $11.5 million.
Residents over the years have included the weatherman Al Roker, the politician Bill Bradley, and the novelist Jacqueline Susann. In 2016, CityRealty named it the second-best co-op in Manhattan.
If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, you can dial 911 or 988 to connect to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. There is also a YouthLine: Text “teen2teen” to #839863, or call 1-877-968-8491.