Man ‘had an argument’ before falling to his death from the 13th floor of a seaside tower block
A man who jumped to his death from the 13th floor of a seaside skyscraper in Essex had an ‘argument’ moments before he fell; Stunned neighbors recall hearing ‘a huge scream and glass breaking’.
Essex Police rushed to the 15-storey Grampian Tower on Salisbury Avenue, Westcliff-on-Sea, just after 6am on Friday after receiving reports of a ‘disturbance’.
In the second call to the police, ‘it was reported that there were serious concerns about a man outside the block’.
Police officers and emergency workers determined that the man, whose name has not yet been released, died after the fall.
His death is being treated as ‘unexpected’ and is currently under investigation.
A woman living in the block claimed there was an ‘argument’ before the incident.
Other residents of the building are said to be ‘shaken’ by the death.
Leanne Richardson, who is 28 weeks pregnant and lives in the tower, said she was ‘in shock’ and had to visit her doctor to ‘recover’.
A man has died after jumping from a 15-storey skyscraper in Essex (pictured); Stunned neighbors recalled hearing ‘a huge scream and glass breaking’.
“I went out this morning and saw a crime scene as people were dropping their children off at school,” he told the Southend Echo.
Local resident Jaime Hughes said she was woken up by a ‘loud bang’ and ‘thump’.
‘A window was broken and it looks like a person walked through it,’ he said.
‘It was really loud. A sleeping bag was covering his body. It’s bad and not nice at all. It makes me not want to live here anymore. If this can happen, anything can happen. This is too bad. ‘I heard a thump and then it was completely quiet.’
A couple living nearby said: ‘When we went out to work we saw the sheet on the ground and the police standing around it. We heard some of what happened. Sad, sad. ‘No one should die this way.’
Another person living in the apartment said: ‘It’s really a shame. This is a waste of a life. You’re having all this time.’
On Friday, police descended on the tower block as paramedics and coroners cordoned off the area.
Residents were seen gathering outside the cordon as detectives examined the scene for clues and carried out door-to-door inquiries.
No arrests were made.
An Essex Police spokesman said on Friday: ‘No arrests have been made at this stage and our work is progressing, including taking statements from witnesses, carrying out door-to-door inquiries and checking CCTV.
‘There will be a police presence in the area throughout the day as part of this work.’
Police have appealed for anyone with information or CCTV of the incident to get in touch.
A spokesman said: ‘We are particularly interested in images taken from inside and around the Grampian flats between 12 and 7am this morning.
‘Please quote incident 212 of 3 July when contacting.’
Grampian Tower is one of three tower blocks on the Balmoral estate with a total of 231 homes. There are approximately 77 flats in each block.
The Daily Mail has contacted the East of England Ambulance Service for comment.
