Negligence leads to fall from balcony

From the NY Post:

A young man described as "happy, bright and full of hope" tumbled to his death from his 24th-floor balcony in Midtown -- possibly after the railing gave way, sources said yesterday.

Neither his friends nor investigators seem to believe that Connor Donohue, 24, jumped from the East 39th Street building Sunday morning.

"He was happy, bright and full of hope. He had a great sense of humor and got along with everybody," said Mekaelia Davis, a fellow volunteer at the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.

Donohue had been a dean of students at Prep for Prep, a nonprofit that helps New York students gain admission to elite high schools nationwide.

A part of the railing also fell, prompting a Department of Buildings spokesman to say, "A post was loose or may have been damaged prior to the incident."

From the Daily News:

The family of the Manhattan social worker who fell to his death when a faulty railing gave way expressed outrage Tuesday after learning the building's owners failed to inspect the balcony.

Jennifer Towers Apartment Corp., the owner of the building at 330 E. 39th St., was required to hire engineers to inspect the high-rise's exterior and submit a report to the Buildings Department by early 2007.

It never came, officials said.

Owners of buildings at least seven stories high are required to hire engineers to inspect their facades every five years. The Buildings Department slapped Jennifer Towers with a $4,000 fine after the firm failed to appear at a hearing over the violation last June.

It's been hit with an additional $6,750 in penalties for failing to file the report, officials said.

In the wake of the tragedy, the agency issued a violation against Jennifer Towers, which posted signs in the building warning residents to stay off their balconies.

David Iwanier, a rep for Jennifer Towers, declined to comment.