Man Dies in Fall From Vornado’s Tallest Building in Penn Plaza
The man who fell from the 57 story building at One Penn Plaza has been identified as 26-year-old Halil Sonuk. Police said his most recent address was Philadelphia but he was originally southwest Turkey. The family was trying to raise money to pay for his funeral in Dikaybakir.
| 28 Feb 2025 | 04:41
Halil Sonuk, 26, originally from Turkey whose last known address was Philadelphia, was identified as the victim who fell to his death from 2 Penn Plaza on Feb. 24. His heartbroken brother was trying to raise money for his funeral and burial back home. (
)
The building at 1 Penn Plaza, which is the tallest in the Penn Plaza complex adjoining Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, was the scene of a grisly death on Feb. 24 around 3 p.m. when a 26 year old man fell to his death. (
)
The NYPD maintained a presence outside 1 Penn Plaza on Feb. 25. Less than 24 hours earlier, a 26 year old man plunged to his death at the Vornado-owned building. (
)
A police cruiser remains on the scene at 1 Penn Plaza on Feb. 25, less than 24 hours after a 26 year old man plunged to his death from the tallest building in the Penn Plaza complex. (
)
A man fell to his death mid-afternoon on Feb. 24 from a Vornado-owned tower that adjoins Penn Station and Madison Square Garden.
The victim was identified by police on Feb. 28 as 26-year-old Halil Sonuk. Although police said his last known address was Philadelphia, a heart broken family member said he was originally from Diyarbakir, which is a city of 1.8 million people in southwest Turkey.
Police did not release details on the tragedy other than to confirm his identify and date of death on Feb. 24 about 3 p.m. His brother Sait Sonuk called his death an “unfortunate accident.”
A GoFundMe page started by his brother was trying to raise money to pay for his funeral and burial in his home city. A Linked in profile said Halil Sonuk worked in a restaurant in Philadelphia, but he had not posted anything.
“Dear Friends,” Sait Sonuk wrote on GoFundMe. “My dearest brother passed away due to an unfortunate accident. Burial will take place in our hometown Diyarbakir. We dont have enough income to cover funeral costs. We would need help from our community like you please. May Allah reward you!”
The 57-story building from which Halil Sonuk plunged at 1 Penn Plaza is the tallest of the office, hotel and entertainment buildings in the Penn Plaza complex. Police who were summoned to the scene of the building on W. 34th St. near Eighth Ave. after a 911 found the 26-year-old man unconscious and unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS.
The building houses a Lifetime gym on the ground floor and has three setbacks: at the seventh, 14th, and 55th floors. The building is one of a handful in Manhattan that has its own zip code.
The real estate developer Vornado had not responded to a query by presstime. It is the second tragic fall from a building in Penn Plaza in two years. On Feb. 7, 2023, a 24-year-old man leaped to his death from the 32nd floor of 2 Penn Plaza, in an apparent suicide. In that case the victim left behind his wallet.
The medical examiner had not released a cause of death of the latest fall. Police said foul play was not suspected.