Community Corner
Teen Who Fell To Death Was 'The Brightest Of Stars:' Friends
Those who knew Imogen Roche left flowers and messages for the late 15-year-old outside of the Reade Street building where she fell.
TRIBECA, NY — The teenager who fell to her death from a Tribeca building was trying to impress partygoers by scaling the fire escape to retrieve a friend's cellphone, police said.
Imogen Roche, 15, was drinking at a house party at 110 Reade Street near West Broadway Sunday at 11 p.m. when she announced to the party that she was going to climb the fire escape and slip in through the window of a locked room to get her friend's cellphone. But the Beacon High School student slipped and plummeted six stories, officials said.
Those who knew the aspiring actress stopped by the Reade Street building Wednesday, dropping off flowers, letters address to Roche and her family, and lit candles in her memory.
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"This is the most tragic thing," said Joanna Williams, the mother of one of Roche's friends, who stopped by to light a candle. "My daughter is completely heart broken that she's gone. She was such a sweet girl. It's horrible, just horrible."
A former elementary school teacher of Roche's described her as "bright and friendly."
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"She was a very intelligent little girl," said the woman who identified herself as Donna. "I was devastated when I saw the news. She had her whole life ahead of her. It's tragic."
One message left at the makeshift memorial called Roche "the brightest of stars."
"Keep shining on us all. Your impact is far greater than you ever knew. We'll miss you greatly," the note scrawled on a glass candle read.
The tenants of the Tribeca apartment were out of town at the time of the house part where Roche fell, police said.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said at a Tuesday news conference that investigators are determining if anyone involved in the incident will face criminal charges.
"The priority in this incident obviously was did we have a crime here — did we have a homicide or did we have a tragic accident? That was the immediacy of the incident," said Shea. "Once that’s put to bed there will be other issues looked at."
Photo courtesy of Caroline Spivack/Patch
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