The man who plunged to his death from Sydney’s Centrepoint Tower today fell right past office workers who saw his face as he plummeted, a witness has told Daily Mail Australia.
A middle-aged man was taking part in the 268-metre-high SkyWalk around a platform outside the tower when he became agitated and removed his harness which attached him to the building, witnesses say.
He then allegedly jumped off the edge in front of a young girl and an elderly couple who were left ‘frozen’ in shock.
One witness named Chris, who was inside the 4th floor observation deck at 2.40pm, described the chaos that ensued.
He said: ‘I was inside when I heard a worker start running and yelling back at his co-workers to “call downstairs”.
The man who plunged to his death from Sydney’s Centrepoint Tower today fell right past office workers who saw his face as he plummeted, a witness has told Daily Mail Australia. Pictured: The place where the man landed
A middle-aged man became agitated before he unattached his harness and jumped from the 268-metre high Sky Walk at 2.40pm this afternoon, witnesses say. Pictured: Emergency services retrieve the man’s body from a canopy on the tower
The man allegedly jumped off the edge in front of a young girl and an elderly couple who were left in shock
Tourists were asked to leave the building and offered refunds after the tragedy at 2.40pm today
‘At first, I thought there was a fire because I’m pretty sure I heard someone talking about a fire door.
‘But there were no fire alarms so I really did not know what was going on. I walked over to my friends who seemed pretty grim and asked them what happened.
‘They said they had just seen a man fall. One of my friends said she saw him falling right in front of her face. I asked if he had a parachute and they said “no”.
‘We could not see where the man landed because our view directly downwards was cut off at a certain point. My friend said she had a clear view of the man’s face as he was falling because he was turned towards the sky.
‘She said that he looked to be middle aged.’
The witness added: ‘Nothing was happening in the observation deck for a little while afterwards, most people had no idea what happened.
Sydney Tower said the building was closed ‘until further notice following an incident’
Paramedics joined a huge number of police on the scene to treat witnesses for shock
‘I started seeing some people in suits come up to the deck – I am assuming they were managers or supervisors. Then the group that was up there with him on the Sky Walk came down to the observation deck.
‘They were an old couple, a little girl, and a few other people. The little girl was crying, and the rest of the people seemed to be in shock.
‘It seemed like nobody knew the guy. We decided to leave because we were feeling a bit uncomfortable, and as we got off the elevator there were a few police officers.’
Office workers in skyscrapers near the tower were told to stay away from the windows to avoid witnessing the shocking scenes below.
Tourists were asked to leave the building and offered refunds while those arriving to complete the SkyWalk were turned away, with staff telling them there had been an ‘incident’.
NSW Ambulance workers were providing counselling to disturbed witnesses.
A spokesman for NSW Police said there was a police operation underway after a ‘self-harm-related incident’ in the Sydney CBD.
A spokesman for Sydney Tower Eye said: ‘An incident took place on the Sydney Tower Eye this afternoon.
A spokesman for Sydney Tower Eye said: ‘An incident took place on the Sydney Tower Eye this afternoon’
‘We are working closely with the police on this matter and it is being investigated accordingly. At this stage the Sydney Tower Eye Observation Deck and SKYWALK are closed.’
An employee was heard saying ‘we can’t say what happened, if you can reschedule’.
Despite the tragedy, the building’s swish revolving restaurant and cocktail bar, 360 Bar and Dining, kept its doors open on Thursday night.
A staff member told Daily Mail Australia the self-described ‘culinary experience’, which includes a six-course degustation menu, was ‘fully booked’ this evening.
Visitors were seen cramming through metal detectors for the first seating just after 5pm, with mains including pressed lamb neck and roasted black kingfish.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
If you are in need of support please contact Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or BeyondBlue on 1300 224 636.
Tourists were asked to leave the building and offered refunds. Pictured: The tower from above