The devastated parents of an Australian diplomat who plunged to his death from his New York apartment rooftop have begun preparations for his funeral.
Julian Simpson, 30, died Wednesday after falling from the seventh floor of the Lower East Side building.
His distraught family members have since said they are too upset to speak and are in lock-down, according to the Herald Sun.
The devastated parents of Australian diplomat Julian Simpson (pictured), who plunged to his death from his New York apartment rooftop, have begun preparations for his funeral
‘We’re not in a place to speak, we just can’t right now,’ a family member said.
While on Wednesday night, Mr Simpson’s wife Lauren posted on her private Facebook page that she was ‘absolutely shattered’.
Mr Simpson had reportedly been out with his wife and their friends before returning to the apartment to see the Empire State Building, which had been lit up in rainbow colours for Australia’s same-sex marriage vote.
He had been playing a drunken ‘trust game’ when he fell after his brother-in-law, James Waugh became upset Mr Simpson had swung his wife around on the rooftop.
‘I will prove that you can trust me,’ Mr Simpson said as he leaned over his balcony ledge, according to police sources.
He is believed to have been sitting on the railing of the seven-storey building before he fell backwards, with Mr Waugh telling police he lost his grip when he tried to catch him.
Distraught family members said they were ‘not in a place to speak’, while Mr Simpson’s wife Lauren (pictured) posted on her private Facebook page that she was ‘absolutely shattered’
The 30-year-old had been playing a drunken ‘trust game’ when he fell after his brother-in-law, James Waugh (pictured) became upset Mr Simpson had swung his wife around on the rooftop
Mr Simpson is believed to have been sitting on the railing of the seven-storey building before he fell backwards, with Mr Waugh telling police he lost his grip when he tried to catch him
Mr Simpson landed on a second-storey terrace at about 1.30am, with a neighbour telling the South China Morning Post that he saw paramedics performing CPR on a bloody body.
Mr Simpson was taken to Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital where he was pronounced dead, News Corp reports.
He’s described as somebody who liked to play games and had sat on the balcony railing and accidentally lost his balance,’ NYPD spokesman Martin Brown said.
Everyone who was interviewed by police admitted to consuming alcohol on the night, according to the New York Post.
Mr Simpson fell from the seventh floor of his apartment building in the Lower East Side (above)
Mr Simpson had been out with his wife and friends before they returned home to admire the view of the Empire State Building, which was lit up in rainbow colours
A spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said it was not known when Mr Simpson’s body would be repatriated.
Mr Simpson (pictured), was a second secretary to the United Nations for Australia
The minister released a statement following Mr Simpson’s death, writing he was ‘dedicated to the service of our nation’.
‘Julian was a diligent, professional and highly skilled diplomat, whose support I valued, particularly during UN Leaders’ Week,’ Ms Bishop said.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also described Mr Simpson’s death as a ‘shocking tragedy’.
While Labor senator Lisa Singh described him as ‘ a very fine young man’ and a ‘very fine young diplomat’.
Mr Simpson was just months away from finishing his three-year posting in New York.
The youngest of three brothers, Mr Simpson was a second secretary to the United Nations for Australia, with he and his wife moving to New York in 2015.
A small candle vigil was set up Wednesday night (above) on the terrace where Mr Simpson fell