New York City’s infamous suicide spot will reopen later this year with large cut-resistant safety screens after four visitors committed suicide by jumping from the posh complex.
Located on the west side of Manhattan, The Vessel is a 45-meter-high artwork in the shape of an inverted beehive, consisting of stairs and platforms.
Three visitors jumped to their deaths from the climbable sculpture in less than a year, prompting the ship’s closure in January 2021.
It reopened later that year with additional rules, including a ban on individual visitors, but was closed again after a 14-year-old jumped from the building while visiting with his family.
A spokesperson for Related Companies, which owns Hudson Yards, said Friday that the monument will reopen to the public later this year, although an exact date for reopening is not clear.
New York City’s infamous suicide spot will reopen later this year with large cut-resistant safety screens after four visitors committed suicide by jumping from the posh complex
Located on the west side of Manhattan, The Vessel is a 45-meter-high artwork in the shape of an inverted beehive, consisting of stairs and platforms. Pictured: Authorities on scene after a 14-year-old jumped from the ship
Three visitors jumped to their deaths from the climbable sculpture in less than a year, prompting the ship’s closure in January 2021. Pictured: 19-year-old Peter DeSalvo (left) and 24-year-old Yocheved Gourarie ( right) who end their lives by jumping from the structure
According to the spokesperson, ‘floor to ceiling’ steel mesh is currently being installed on the winding stairs and landings of the building as a safety measure.
“Through a closely coordinated effort with Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio, we have developed a plan to install floor-to-ceiling steel mesh on the ship while maintaining the unique experience that has attracted millions of visitors from around the world,” said the spokesman. in a statement.
The first two levels will be completely open to visitors, while on the upper levels only areas with barriers will be accessible, CBS reports.
The floor-to-ceiling mesh is not possible at the highest level as it must be secured at both the top and bottom of each floor. The upper level remains closed.
City officials and local community boards have long called for protection to be added to the building since the first suicide incident.
Jessica Chait, president of the Manhattan community board, said the safety measure should have been implemented earlier.
“While we believe it has cost too many lives to make these physical changes, these are the changes we have asked for, which will allow the safety of everyone visiting the ship to be prioritized,” she said. AP.
The first two levels will be completely open to visitors, while on the upper levels only areas with barriers will be accessible, CBS reports
The floor-to-ceiling mesh is not possible at the highest level as it must be secured at both the top and bottom of each floor. The upper level remains closed
The first suicide at the ship occurred in February 2020, when 19-year-old Connecticut student Peter DeSalvo jumped to his death from the structure’s 16th floor in front of dozens of tourists.
DeSalvo, from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, was a freshman at Sacred Heart University, where he also played rugby.
Months later, Yocheved Gourarie, 24, died by suicide shortly before Christmas. Her apparent suicide note was shared in a posthumous planned post on her Instagram account.
Gourarie wrote: ‘Hey. This is pretty surreal, isn’t it? Uncomfortable, you might say. Shocking. Close the app now if you want. I think if you don’t know by now, you should probably sit down.
‘If you’re reading this, I’ll be gone. Either that, or somehow incapacitated in the hospital, so I can’t delete this scheduled post. But I really hope not.’
Gourarie wrote that she “didn’t feel like going into the reasons why I’m gone, but there are definitely more than thirteen,” referring to the popular young adult novel and Netflix TV series 13 Reasons Why, about high school students in the after the suicide of a classmate.
The first suicide at the ship occurred in February 2020, when 19-year-old Connecticut student Peter DeSalvo jumped to his death from the building’s 16th floor in front of dozens of tourists.
Months later, Yocheved Gourarie, 24, died by suicide shortly before Christmas. Her apparent suicide note was shared in a posthumous planned post on her Instagram account
A police car is seen outside the ship after the third suicide in January 2021, when 21-year-old Franklin Washington committed suicide by jumping from the ship
Three weeks later, the third person, 21-year-old Franklin Washington, took his own life by jumping from the ship.
Before he died, he was wanted as a suspect in the stabbing death of his mother, the newspaper reported New York Post.
Michelle Washington-Hart, 56, was found murdered Friday in her apartment in the 7600 block of Highway 90 East in San Antonio after family members were unable to reach her and requested a welfare check. KSAT.
After the three suicides, the $200 million tourist attraction was briefly closed. When it reopened in May 2021, new rules were put in place in an attempt to prevent further suicides.
The building introduced a ban on solo visits with a minimum of two people per visit. Staff were also stationed in the building to look for those in need.
Two months after its reopening, a 14-year-old boy from New Jersey jumped from the eighth floor of the 50-meter-high building while visiting his parents, sister and grandmother.
For confidential support, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255