Horror as advertising executive plunges 17 floors to her death after New York balcony railing COLLAPSES while on her first date



A New York woman, 35, on a first date fell to her death after the metal balcony railing gave way

Jennifer Rosoff's date was cleared of any wrongdoing

Promising career: Advertising executive Jennifer Rosoff was on a first date when she plunged to her death

A 35-year-old advertising executive on her first date tragically plunged 17 floors to her death this morning after the railing of her New York City apartment balcony gave way.



Jennifer Rosoff went outside for a cigarette with her date, who she met online, about 12.50am when the railing of the narrow balcony collapsed after she propped her leg on it to stretch, according to DNAinfo.

When the volunteer charity worker's date told her that it wasn't safe to lean on the railing, she insisted she 'did it all the time' before tumbling from the Stonehedge 57 apartment ledge, landing on construction scaffolding on the first floor.



A witness said the man was 'hysterical' as he ran outside screaming 'Oh my god!'



Emergency crews pronounced Rosoff dead at the scene.

A photo of the corner balcony of the apartment where Rosoff lived shows the top two railings bent down in a V-shape.

Associated Press said the railings were made of metal, which witnesses claim were 'bent and twisted'.



New York Post claims its sources revealed the date told police he heard two sharp pops before the railing collapsed.



Police have cleared the man, who had met Rosoff in person for the first time that night, of any possible wrongdoing.



DNAinfo reported the man's parents answered his apartment door and said he was home, but declined to comment.

Neighbors at the 400 East 57th Street building, near First Avenue in Manhattan's Midtown East, compared the sound of Rosoff's fall to a 'gunshot' and a 'punch'.

Soda executive Steve Hersch, who lives two doors down from Rosoff, told DNAinfo : 'I heard a bang. I thought it was a gunshot.'

Sara Shubert said: ' It sounded like a 200-pound punch.'

Jennifer Rosoff, 35, plunged 17 floors to her death after the balcony railing gave way when she leaned on it

The two metal balcony railings on Rosoff's corner apartment were bent down in a V-shape

Rosoff's sister, Alexis Treeby, heard about her sister's tragic demise about 5am.

'She was a lovely person. My children adored her,' Treeby told DNAinfo . 'She was kind, generous and did charity work.'

Buildings officials took part of the broken railing to examine how it could have buckled and plan to examine whether the other balconies are structurally sound.

Meanwhile the Department of Buildings issued a vacate order for the building's balconies this morning, saying conditions there were 'imminently perilous to life'.

A department spokeswoman told New York Times that inspectors were investigating conditions and would report on their findings later today.



However Daily News reported the building was cited for a construction violation on June 27, according to the Department of Buildings online records.



Jennifer Rosoff, 35, has plunged to her death while on her first date after the railing on her 17th-floor New York City balcony gave way Rosoff was the Director of Sales at Triplelift, a digital advertising firm in the Flatiron District, a ccording to her Linkedin profile. Rosoff's tragic end has shattered her colleagues, who described her as 'highly-respected'.

'We are all deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of our dear friend and co-worker,' TripleLift co-founder and CEO Eric Berry said in a statement, according to DNAinfo .

'She was well-loved and a highly-respected member of our team. Her tremendous energy and humor brought so much joy to the office. The entire company is distraught by the loss of Ms. Rosoff — she will be deeply missed.' Rosoff had previously worked at Lucky magazine and The New Yorker. Her Twitter account was updated shortly before her fatal fall.



The gray brick high-rise building was reportedly built before World War II, and only the higher-floor corner apartments reportedly have balconies.



