Early this morning, a rooftop party in the East Village was ruined when the stairwell collapsed, sending a man plummeting two stories. ABC New York says that the collapse may have been caused by the man jumping on the stairs. The FDNY responded to a 1:25 a.m. distress call and found the man with trauma injuries after falling "four half-landings."
Martin Barshai, who was at the party, recalled the terrifying scene to the New York Daily News. "We were having a party, just a bunch of people hanging out ... Some guy runs upstairs and says, 'Everyone quiet down, everyone shut the f*** up , someone might have died." As people headed for the exit, they happened upon a huge whole in the stairs.
Authorities rushed the man to Bellevue Hospital where he was treated for fractured ribs and a broken ankle. According to Gothamist, he was in critical, yet stable condition. While some partygoers hopped over the hole and used a fire escape to get to safety, the FDNY had to utilize the Tower Ladder to rescue other partygoers stranded on the roof.
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[via Gothamist, ABC New York and New York Daily News]
