A well-respected New York City real estate agent jumped to his death from his Upper East Side home while in the middle of selling an heiress' house.
Tom Cooper, 56, died when he hit the sidewalk in front of 18 East 67th Street, near Madison Avenue, just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
He left a suicide note, police said, before jumping in front of horrified onlookers who thought the impact was a laundry bag until they saw the body.
Douglas Elliman's agent was selling the $3.7 million unit of billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison's daughter, filmmaker Meghan Ellison, when he died.
Tom Cooper, 56, a respected New York real estate agent, jumped to his death from his Upper East Side apartment building
He died when he hit the sidewalk in front of 18 East 67th Street, near Madison Avenue, just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday
In Cooper's most recent social media post, he himself stood next to a Christmas tree in the lobby of the historic building that housed the apartment and two others he was also selling.
“The beautiful lobby of the police building at 240 Center St!” he wrote on Friday.
Cooper also recently helped sell a six-story, 9,000-square-foot townhouse at 24 West 10th Street for $18.5 million.
“I am absolutely delighted for my wonderful buyers who can now call this stately Greenwich Village brownstone home. “Truly a stunning home and a part of New York City history!” he wrote on Instagram.
Cooper's sister is on her way to New York to be with his “shattered” family and friends.
A witness said one of Cooper's distraught neighbors ran from the building after seeing him just days earlier.
“A neighbor came out and said he had just spent Christmas Eve with him and he had said it was the best Christmas Eve he had ever had,” the witness told the New York Post.
In Cooper's most recent social media post, he himself stood next to a Christmas tree in the lobby of the historic police building, which is home to three apartments he was selling
Police investigators were seen speaking with officers at the building in the hours after the man was found
Another witness described Cooper crashing headfirst into a green wooden structure and then landing on his back on the sidewalk.
He had a cut on his forehead and the side of his head, the witness said.
“He didn't talk at all, he was bleeding from the head.” His [left] Leg was broken. “The midsection of his body looked like it was just a sack of bones,” he said.
Cooper is believed to have jumped from the fourth floor, where he lived in Apartment 4A, and a half-open window could be seen from the street.
Images of the scene taken around this time showed blood on the pavement.
First responders took Cooper to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Cooper was the lead agent at Meghan Ellison's apartment and two others at the historic 1909 building that was the NYPD's headquarters until 1973.
It was converted into luxury apartments and was home to supermodels Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista, as well as famous fashion designer Calvin Klein.
The top-floor apartment is 1,770 square feet and features a huge bedroom with a soaring rotunda-style dome dominating the space.
Cooper's listing noted that it could be combined with the $3.5 million, 1,550-square-foot, two-bedroom unit next door for a total of $7.2 million.
He also sold a three-bedroom apartment on the third floor for almost $6.5 million.
The man jumped from the fourth floor just before 7:30 this morning
First responders took the man to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The building dates back to 1905 and is divided into eight private units. In 2022, one unit was rented for $9,000 per month.
Cooper is the latest New Yorker to jump from fancy buildings in Manhattan in recent weeks.
Last week, a 35-year-old woman died after jumping from a high-rise called “The Brittany” near Mayor Eric Adams' residence at Gracie Mansion.
In October, a 47-year-old man jumped to his death from the Gotham Hotel in Midtown. In the summer, three men died within two days after taking their own lives.
One of these men died after jumping from a luxury high-rise building.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the Suicide Prevention Hotline on 988 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.