Officials are calling for more safety measures after a woman died falling between rooftops during a party in the East Village early Saturday morning.
A NYPD spokesperson tells Gothamist that the incident happened around 3:10 a.m. Saturday when Cameron Perrelli, 23, fell to her death from the seventh floor roof of 202 Avenue A, near East 12th Street. Officials say she was trying to climb over to 200 Avenue A during a rooftop birthday party when she fell down an airspace between the two buildings. She was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Perrelli grew up in Connecticut and worked in finance in Manhattan. Her family told the Daily News they were shocked by the incident: “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 them.
Her uncle, Steven Perrelli, wrote on Facebook: "My heart is broken, My family has lost a true angel today...my niece Cameron.... I love you!!..you were/are a shining star I will always cherish. I am lost without you in my life."
Officials, including Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer and Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, say that there have been a spate of dangerous rooftop parties in the East Village. Council Member Carlina Rivera has introduced two bills to try to address what she describes as "dangerous overcrowded or mismanaged rooftop parties."
"We've heard complaints from constituents regarding out of control rooftop parties, even before the start of the pandemic. Unfortunately a life was lost from one of these very events," said Epstein. "The city and state need to take control of this situation before we lose more lives."
One of Rivera's bills would require better oversight of rooftop use and capacity, while the other requires tenants to acknowledge the city's noise codes.
"We will continue to pursue my legislation to ensure agency responses so that these deadly situations do not happen again," Rivera said. "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."
"It should not take a tragedy for us to take action on dangerous rooftop gatherings and yet, a tragedy is exactly what happened right here on Friday night," added said State Senator Brad Hoylman. "How many more must occur before our enforcement agencies, landlords, and some residents take responsibility? This is why Councilmember Rivera's legislation is so important."
