The 14-year-old boy who died after jumping from The Vessel at Hudson Yards in New York City earlier this week was laughing, running and playing with his younger sister right before his leap.
A security guard who witnessed the incident said the siblings appeared to be having a lot of fun.
'There were lots of tourists around. The kid was racing up the stairs with his younger sister and having a blast,' the guard told the New York Post.
The New Jersey teen - who has not been named - leapt from the eighth floor of the 150-foot structure just before 1pm Thursday during a visit with his parents, sister and grandmother.
A teenager has died after jumping from The Vessel, pictured, at Hudson Yards in New York City
The teen's death is the fourth suicide from the structure since it opened two years ago
The guard said that while they were playing, workers advised the siblings to slow down.
'One of my colleagues told them, 'I know it's fun and stuff, but you are not allowed to run in the Vessel,' and, 'Stay with your parents.' Somehow, when he got to Level Eight, he jumped,' the guard explained.
The worker said their 'heart just dropped' when the boy leapt.
'I heard the impact,' the guard shared. 'I saw his parents after. The lady panicked. She was screaming and crying. The father was speechless. The sister was crying.'
Police told the newspaper the teen had a history of depression and had previously attempted suicide.
The family is holding a funeral on Saturday, the Post reported. His loved ones said they are working together to get through the tragedy.
'We're dealing with it. These things are never easy,' a family friend is quoted saying. 'He was a very sweet kid, very smart.'
The Vessel has been closed since the teen's death and will remain that way indefinitely as officials investigate the incident.
The Vessel has been closed since the boy's death, as indicated by a sign placed at the property
The Vessel also announced the temporary closure on their website (pictured). However, developers are considering make the closure permanent
'We are heartbroken by this tragedy and our thoughts are with the family of the young person who lost their life. We are conducting a full investigation,' Kimberly Winston, a spokesperson for Hudson Yards, told People.
The boy's death marks the fourth suicide at the $200million tourist attraction since it opened in March 2019. Now, the Vessel's billionaire developer is considering closing the structure for good.
'We thought we did everything that would really prevent this,' developer Stephen Ross said to The Daily Beast on Thursday. 'It's hard to really fathom how something like that could happen. But you know, I feel terrible for the family.'
The tourist attraction had reopened just two months ago after it was closed following the three other suicides.
New rules were recently drawn up in an effort to prevent further suicides including a ban on solo visitors with a minimum of two people per visit. Staff were also placed about the structure looking for individuals in distress.
Crime scene tape can be seen around the perimeter of The Vessel on Thursday afternoon
Paramedics from the FDNY can be seen walking towards the area where the teenager fell
A body bag can be seen being placed in the coroners van outside The Vessel at Hudson Yards
There was even 'enhanced guest engagement and screening procedures to detect high-risk behaviors among visitors' which was supposed to 'significantly enhance the safety of the experience.'
The size of the staff and security force was tripled, and signs were put up offering help to people in distress with positive messaging created with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Ross explained that the attraction is to be closed while the discussions take place over whether it should ever reopen.
'I want to see every possibility we can do. I mean, we thought we had covered everything.'
However, Lowell Kern, chair of Manhattan Community Board 4, told the news outlet that he believes officials could have 'raised the height of the barriers, and that would have
