A New Jersey man survived a harrowing fall from a nine-story high rise after landing on a BMW parked below the building, local authorities announced Thursday.
The unidentified man crashed onto the roof of the car at 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, then stood up and asked what happened to him, witness Christina Smith told the New York Post.
“I heard a big boom and I didn’t think it was a person at first,” Smith told the outlet. “The back window of the car just busted out — exploded. Then the guy jumped up and started screaming. His arm was all twisted … I was shocked. It was like being in a movie.”
Man plunges 9 stories from NJ high rise, lands on BMW — and survives https://t.co/ZnMO8sIVJj pic.twitter.com/CKByrEi5eT
— New York Post (@nypost) October 7, 2021
Smith called 911 and credited the man’s puffy jacket for cushioning his fall and preventing further injury, according to the Post. The man was rushed to a hospital and is reportedly in critical condition. (RELATED: Swiss Diplomat Reportedly Dead After Falling From High-Rise Building In Iran)
The man allegedly jumped from an open window on the ninth floor, according to the New York Post. It is unclear why he was in the building, as he did not work there, building employees told the outlet.
“He was trying to get up but people were trying to get him to stay down —‘You don’t know how hurt you are,’” witness Mark Bordeaux, who works in the building and witnessed the scene, told the Post. “He kept saying, ‘Leave me alone, I want to die.’ You saw one of his arms was clearly broken, but he was conscious, he was moving.”
“He wanted to die…That was his agenda,” Bordeaux told the outlet. “But God had something else in mind.”
The man was allegedly uncooperative with authorities and refused to provide his name, the Post reported.
Police are currently investigating the incident, Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione told the New York Post.