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Woman Slips From Inwood Fire Escape and Falls to Her Death, Police Say

 The woman, who neighbors identified as Kasey Jones, fell from the Inwood apartment building, police say.
Woman Falls to Her Death From Fire Escape, Police Say
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MANHATTAN — A woman slipped and fell to her death from the fire escape of her Inwood apartment building early Tuesday, police said.

The 26-year-old woman, whom neighbors and sources identified as Kasey Jones, had been on the roof of 154 Vermilyea Ave., near West 207th Street, about 2:20 a.m. when she decided to climb down, an NYPD spokesman said.

As Jones descended, she slipped and fell, police said.

"I heard something fall. It was like a cinder block thrown really hard," said Jones' neighbor, Niniva Acosta, 55.

"Her friend came down the fire escape and she woke me up and opened the window," said Acosta's grandson, Sangelys Perez, 15.

"She was talking to me and looked down and kept saying, 'She fell! She fell!" the teen said.

"I said, 'What? Who fell?' I was still half asleep. She started crying," Perez added.

It was not immediately clear how high up Jones was when she slipped, a police spokesman said.

Jones, who recently moved to New York from Wisconsin, was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

Police did not know why Jones had been on the roof, but neighbors said that she would frequently climb the fire escape up there in order to avoid tripping fire alarms.

Her social media accounts are filled with photos of her drinking on her roof. In the comments of one picture, a friend posted, "It scares the bejesus outta me whenever you post these 'casually leaning over the edge' pics."

Jones replied, "well I have a lot of whiskey to help me out."

 

The climb down from the fire escape though. #imsotall #iloveit

A photo posted by @zoradelora on

Neighbors said Jones, who worked at Plowshares Coffee Roasters on the Upper West Side, was kind and an avid bike rider.

"She was mad cool. I went bike riding with her on the Marina down to 59th Street last month. She wanted to go farther, but I was dying. She was in great shape," said Hansel Vicioso, 35.

"She said Wisconsin was so small and quiet, but there was never a dull moment here. She was loving the atmosphere here. She was definitely going to make it."

Her coworkers at Plowshares said Jones started there in December 2014.

"She was lovely, kind and genuine. She always wanted to work in coffee. She was passionate about it," said a colleague, Sonia, who declined to give her last name.

"I can't even process it. I'm in shock," Sonia added.

Their manager, Sadie, who also declined to give her last name, was devastated and closed the coffee shop for the day after learning about her friend's death.

"She was super energetic, really bubbly, warm and friendly. It's still too soon for me to say anything else. I can't believe it. I can't believe it," the manager said.