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The Queens woman who plunged to her death from a 54th floor Times Square rooftop bar has been named as aspiring model Elizabeth Gaglewski.
Gaglewski was remembered by friends and family as ‘sweet’ and kind.
Police are investigating whether she jumped or if she may have fallen by accident on Wednesday afternoon.
‘She was just a good person, a sweet and loving, caring kid,’ said her uncle, Tony Smith – speaking to The New York Post.
Her aunt, Janet, said: ‘She was a good, loving, kind girl.’
They refused to say whether she was struggling with mental health battles.
Smith said they were waiting to hear the results of the investigation.
Staff at the bar tried in vain to grab Gaglewski before she fell 27 floors, and landed on a ledge on the skyscraper hotel.
Elizabeth Gaglewski, 26, died on Wednesday when she fell from a Times Square rooftop bar
Police are yet to conclude whether Gaglewski purposely jumped or fell to her death
The balcony where the Gaglewski, 26, fell to her death at Bar 54 on Wednesday
Onlookers were horrified to see Gaglewski jump from a Times Square rooftop bar. The 26-year-old landed on a balcony 27 floors below and was pronounced dead on the scene. Medical examiners are seen removing the woman’s body
Eyewitnesses told police the woman was ‘seen jumping’ to her death around 3:30pm Wednesday
Gaglewski jumped from Hyatt Centric’s 54th floor roof top bar in Times Square
Other eyewitnesses told police the woman was ‘seen jumping’ to her death around 3:30pm on Wednesday.
She was seen making a phone call, before climbing onto a piece of furniture, then jumping over the side of the terrace.
A Hyatt staffer told the New York Daily News: ‘She walked right by me and I didn’t think anything of it. She was a young girl with a reservation for the bar.’
Explaining what happened next, the worker added: ‘It’s easy (to jump) because the tables and chairs are right near the glass.
‘She didn’t say anything.
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‘Everybody came running saying, ‘She jumped! She jumped!’ At first I thought they were playing.
‘The woman cleaning on the 27th floor heard the crash and found her body on the balcony,’ the worker told the Daily News.
‘We’re lucky she didn’t land on the sidewalk. It’s crazy.’
The bar is described as being ‘perched above the bright lights of Times Square.’
On the website, it is termed New York City’s ‘highest open-air hotel rooftop bar’.
According to police, Gaglewski plunged 27 floors from the rooftop of Bar 54 and landed on the 27th floor balcony below. Pictured: The Bar 54 terrace
The horrifying incident happened just before 3.30pm, with emergency services finding the 26-year-old Gaglewski unresponsive and unconscious on the balcony. Pictured: Hyatt Centric hotel
Gaglewski was pronounced dead at the scene. Her official cause of death will be determined by the city medical examiner. Pictured: The outside of Hyatt Centric
In a statement, Hyatt Hotels Corporation General Manager Tom Blundell expressed his condolences to the family and said the hotel is working closely with local authorities
Emergency services found the 26-year-old unresponsive and unconscious on the balcony and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her official cause of death will be determined by the city medical examiner.
Police have not said if the woman was a guest at the hotel or visiting the bar, which requires reservations.
Standard rooms at the Hyatt location cost upwards of $600 a night.
‘Soak in stunning river-to-river views of the Chrysler Building and lower Manhattan from 54 floors up at New York City’s highest open-air hotel rooftop bar,’ reads the hotel’s website.
‘Perched above the bright lights of Times Square, Bar 54 is an unforgettable location featuring chic, intimate indoor space and an expansive outdoor terrace – perfect for enjoying delicious craft cocktails, fine wines and light gourmet fare.’
The bar was closed for the rest of Wednesday, according to a hotel employee.
In a statement, Hyatt Hotels Corporation General Manager Tom Blundell said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the situation that occurred this afternoon at our hotel and our thoughts go out to the individual’s family and those who have been affected.
‘We are working closely with local authorities and all inquiries should be directed to the New York Police Department.’
