New York Man Slashed Father Before Jumping To His Death From 46th Floor Of His Apartment Building

A New York City man is dead after jumping to his death from the 46th floor of his apartment building just after slashing his father with a knife, according to People Magazine. Early Wednesday morning, Mark Citrin, 27, was reportedly acting irrational for unknown reasons and his father, Niles Citrin, 65, tried desperately to calm him down, but as a result, he was slashed with a knife in the head and arm.

However, Citrin ultimately locked himself in his bedroom and claimed that he wasn’t going to come out. When NYPD hostage negotiators arrived at the apartment, they tried to get him to come out of the room, but he refused. He was heard saying “No” just before leaping to his death from the 46th floor.

A man slashed his father with a knife before plunging to his death from the 46th floor http://t.co/6d88x3EF9d pic.twitter.com/rUwDXSvHrO

— People magazine (@people) August 27, 2015

It is unknown if he actually tried to commit suicide, as it was later uncovered that he threw various items out of the window before he jumped, including a sweater and a book titled Modernist Cuisine. Perhaps the disgruntled man was so desperate to get away from his father and NYPD hostage negotiators, who were standing in front of bedroom door, that he felt his only option was to jump. The fact that he attempted to take a few items along with him may be an indication that he was hoping to survive the jump, according to New York Daily News.

A woman, Maggie McDonald, who was walking by the building, was stopped in her tracks when she noticed several items following from the building. “I thought, ‘Oh, that’s weird,’ ” she said. And believed that “somebody was mad at their significant other.” Then, all of a sudden, she “heard this thud that I’ll never forget” and “It was like two trucks colliding.” People walking by the apartment building began screaming after witnessing the New York man fall to his death.

“It was with great sadness that we learned of the tragic death of our friend and colleague, Mark Citrin,” a spokesman said from Gallagher’s Steakhouse in Midtown, where Citrin used to work. “He was a smart, collegial, and delightful person with a bright future in the restaurant business. We mourn his loss and offer the deepest sympathy and condolences to his family.”

“He was a positive influence on the restaurant. I was shocked,” said one of Citrin’s male coworkers, who asked to remain anonymous. “I never thought he’d do something like that.”

Investigators nor family members know what prompted Mark Citrin’s erratic behavior and what caused him to jump, but an investigation is underway.

[Image courtesy of Ashton Pal / Flickr / Creative Commons]