Man Falls to Death During Upper East Side Break-In, Police Say Updated August 8, 2011 12:53pm

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UPPER EAST SIDE — A man attempting to break into an East 91st Street building through an outdoor terrace died Monday morning after plunging from the building, authorities said.

The victim, who died at the scene, fell between the five-story buildings at 304 and 306 E. 91st St., near Second Avenue, police and a witness said.

Neighbors said the man had tried to enter an apartment from a shared outdoor terrace on the fifth floor of 304 E. 91st St. about 10:15 a.m.

"He tried to come in through the terrace, but my neighbor shut the door and called the police," said fifth-floor tenant Tiffany Spencer, 28. "I guess he ran and somehow fell."

A police spokesman confirmed the man, described as in his 20s, "got spooked" after being spotted by a resident.

A building maintenance man who was working on the first floor at the time said he heard the man hit the ground.

"I heard this bang," said James Charles, 55, "and I looked out to the window and I saw him lying there."

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