Cameron Perrelli Falls to Her Death During Rooftop Party in New York City
A woman has died after falling from a rooftop while attending what officials called a dangerously overcrowded party in New York.
Cameron Perrelli, 24, was attending the party on the rooftop of a building near East 12th Street and Avenue A when she allegedly lost her footing and slipped off the edge in the early hours of Saturday, May 22.
A New York Police Department spokesperson told Newsweek that Perrelli was attempting to climb from the roof of 200 Avenue A to the roof of 202 Avenue A when she fell.
She was transported to Bellevue Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The victim's family has described their shock following the death of the 24-year-old.
"It's not like her to be a risk-taker. She's not one to take those risks. I don't get it," her father, Louis Perrelli, told the New York Daily News.
Her uncle, Michael Perrelli, added: "Don't they have a fence on top of the building? They allow parties?"
Michael Perrelli said his niece was not the "daredevil type" or a "big partier."
"It's just sad because that girl just had her whole life starting, you know? She was a good kid. She was a really good kid."
Elected officials have raised concerns about the number of rooftop parties which are reported in the East Village area of New York.
NYC Councilmember Carlina Rivera said Cameron Perrelli's death is just the latest example of too many people gathering on building rooftops, with partygoers often seen jumping from building to building.
Rivera said she is also working on legislation to make landlords more responsible for making the rooftops safer for their residents.
"We are all thinking about the family of the young person who lost their life on Saturday morning. This tragedy shows just how dangerous overcrowded or mismanaged rooftop parties have become, and how often they have little to no safety protections or monitoring," Rivera said in a statement, via WABC.
"We will continue to pursue my legislation to ensure agency responses so that these deadly situations do not happen again.
"But landlords are ultimately responsible for ensuring outdoor spaces are legally and safely accessible and are not used improperly. If you make the decision to buy a building, you are responsible for the lives of its residents. And these landlords are not living up to that responsibility."
Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer added that the woman's death is "a painful reminder" that City Hall and property managers are failing to "step up" when it comes to rooftop parties.
"As New York City begins to emerge from the pandemic and people start to gather again, I join my colleague Council Member Carlina Rivera in demanding a council hearing and a City Hall review of building code enforcement procedures on this issue," Brewer added.
