26-Year-Old Tyler Thorpe Dies After Falling From Fire Escape At Kips Bay Apartment Building
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- For the second time in a week, a young woman has died after falling from a Manhattan apartment building.
Tyler Thorpe's devastated mother and grandmother clung to one another Saturday outside the Bronx apartment where the three lived.
"She was smart. She was talented. She had a lot to live for. She was only 26," mother Lesley Stewart said. "This is a parent's nightmare."
"We just don't know why this had to happen. It's just wrecking us," grandmother Annette Davis said.
They are barely able to contain their shock and grief after Thorpe's sudden and horrific death.
The family says the 26-year-old, who worked in catering and was an aspiring makeup artist, was in Manhattan for dinner with friends Thursday night.
Afterwards, she went to a get-together at an apartment in Kips Bay on East 28th Street.
Police say Thorpe was attempting to climb the fire escape to get to the roof of the five-story building around 1 a.m. Friday when she slipped and fell into the courtyard.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
"We didn't expect something like this to come about, you know? She was very artistic. She wasn't judgmental," Davis said.
This is the second fatal fall from a Manhattan building in less than a week.
Twenty-four-year-old Cameron Perrelli died last weekend after trying to get from one rooftop to another at a party in the East Village.
After the death, Councilwoman Carlina Rivera said she intends to present legislation to provide better oversight over rooftop parties.
Meanwhile, Thorpe's family says the young woman was not a risk taker. They say what happened to her is proof of how unsafe fire escapes can be, and they have a message for anyone who spends time on them or who attends rooftop parties.
"Don't do it. Don't go to rooftop parties. Don't climb up fire escapes. I don't care if they say they're safe, just don't go up there," Davis said.
Thorpe's mother says her only child was kindhearted and a quiet girl. She's now clinging to the last words they said to one another.
"I said, 'I love you, boosh,' and she said, 'I love you, Mommy. I'll see you later,'" Stewart said.
The family says they'll remember this young woman who was full of life as an introvert who was fiercely loyal, loved to travel and loved her family.
CBS2's Kiran Dhillon contributed to this report.
