Police: Dezirae Anderson, 20, dead after falling from OYO Hotel in Times Square
NEW YORK - A woman fell to her death from the balcony of a Times Square hotel room.
It happened at the OYO Hotel. Police said a 20-year-old woman fell to her death from a 10th floor balcony onto a second story scaffolding. Police responded, but to a different scene than they were expecting.
At about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night, police say 20-year-old Colorado native Dezirae Anderson fell to her death. NYPD had initially been called moments earlier to an assault in progress. Police say Anderson's boyfriend, identified as 24-year-old Tyler Griffin, also from Colorado, was physically assaulting Anderson during a loud argument. Their 8-month-old child was in the room with them.
Shortly thereafter, Griffin and the child left the room, and Anderson fell.
"I heard, like, a loud boom. Almost like a gunshot. And I was like, 'What is going on?'" hotel guest Yumna Khan said.
"They just said the 10th floor is a crime scene, and you can't leave your room," hotel guest Dominic Cobb said.
"When we hear the noise, my wife wake up from the bed. Moved the shield of the windows and she said 'Oh, it's a body, it's in front of us,'" hotel guest Juan Gamboa said.
Police say marijuana and edibles were recovered in the hotel room. The NYPD says they had a loud argument, after which the couple separated - Anderson to the 10th floor balcony, where she eventually fell to her death, and Griffin left the room.
Police said, at one point, he tossed their child, who was caught by somebody in the hotel at the bottom of a staircase. The child was unharmed, but Griffin continued to act erratically and police were called, having to use a stunning device to subdue him at the scene.
Griffin was arrested for allegedly assaulting Anderson during the argument, as well as endangering their child, but is not being charged in his girlfriend's death, as police have confirmed he was not in the room when she fell. Both Griffin and his daughter were initially taken to Bellevue Hospital for observation.
The 8-month-old is now in the custody of Child Protective Services while Griffin awaits arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court.