Oprah-geddon: Winfrey To Quit Show In 2011
Daley Blames - Who Else? - The Media For Oprah-geddon
NYT Preps For Chicago Edition
Chicago Gets Googled
Friday Flashback - Old School Oprah
A man jumped from a Loop building at 155 N. Michigan, landing on a blue Ford along N. Beaubien Ct., behind the Dorel building. Parts of downtown are closed due around this area. As of 6:30, an ambulance was on the scene and the body remained in place.
Edited to Add:
The man's death appears to be a suicide. There was a call to the bomb squad when officials found what they believed to be explosives inside the man's apartment. This later was shown to be incorrect and no explosives were found though it appears some kind of device was found (no word yet on what it might be).
The man was 40 year old Charles Riencke.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Walked past right after they covered the body. Not a pretty sight. Went right through the back window. Feel bad for the car owner.
bunnybear - Oy. What time was that? It seems like the body was there a while. :(
It was probably 4:45ish. There were still police and fire trucks showing up for the next 10 mins. or so.
Sorry, if I'm being presumptuous, but this sounds like a suicide.
Remember (no sarcasm), that if you ever suspect someone is considering suicide, or feeling hopeless, say something. To them. To their family. It's better to get involved than to regret your inaction later. Sorry if that is too preachy.
Why do people always do this right before rush hour? What a pain in the ass.
Hmm. I wonder what the peak time of day is for suicides.
I found an answer here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,743807,00.html
It appears that 11:00 am is the most common time.
The last time someone jumped from a building on Lake Street at Dearborn--about a year or so back--it was around rush hour.
i am so sorry for this man and his family's loss. good advice, ward up. suicide is never the answer. things will always get better.
I came upon this about 5:15 yesterday and saw the car and covered body just before enough fire trucks got there to block the view. I also saw a window hanging open on 155's top floor. If I had to guess, I'd say 155 has about 40 floors. The guy fell a long way. Some poor Ford-owner who thought they'd lucked into great good parking space just saw their resale value plunge.
The on-site rumor mill had a witness saying the guy was naked. A WBBM reporter on the scene told me the first report over the police scanner was that there were explosives in the building, and that the guy jumped about 7 minutes after that report came in. I don't know whether any of this is true.
Last summer I was visiting (back east), was at a friend's at their 21st floor apt. We were sitting by a window and noticed something just whoosh past out of the corner of our eyes.
Later, when we went outside we noticed the police tape and all of the commotion. That's when we found out that what we saw out of the corner of our eyes was a woman who had just jumped from two floors above us.
We found out later that she was in her 30's and was depressed over a relationship.
It's not that we went outside to be lookie-loos, we had no idea what had just happened. But it must have taken the cops a while to get there because by the time we got out there and walked by they were just in the process of covering up the body and taping off the area.
We actually saw, at this is graphic, but we saw what looked like her brains splattered on the sidewalk.
I often think about her. This was over a year ago now and if she had just stuck it out things would have been better by now.
Nothing but time will ever heal a broken heart.
It just blows me away sometimes when I think about it too much...I mean...I actually saw someone commit suicide and there was nothing I could do about it.
I work right across from the Dorel building at 205 N. Michigan. My office has a view of the roof. I'm very glad I didn't see him jump as I was busy at my computer. It's very sad and suicide is definitely not the answer.
Bunnybear, that article you read was written in 1932, so results might have changed since then.
I thought the press did not publish suicides like this? There have been several jumpers in the building I work in over the last few years and none have been covered by the press.
unfortunately, that was my car that the man fell on!! this was a real tragedy and pain as well!! materialistic things can be replaced but a persons life is precious!! Am i wrong for trying to get in contact with this guys family to be compensated for my loss because i don't.
Ingrid - Your story stuck with me over the weekend so I can only imagine how the event must stay with you.
Tread - glad you didn't see it, too.
Mich - Hm, I'm not sure, to be honest with you. It's been covered by the Tribune and Sun, though, but as I am not a journalist by trade, I am unsure if there is a general policy against such things.
Ledmond - I'd leave everything to your insurance company.
I actually did know Charles. I found out by my colleague that he had committed suicide and just searched the internet to find out the story.
He had struggled with life for a long time and I am so devasted to find out that he did this. He must've been in so much pain and desperation to go through with it. He was always so kind to others, and generous, not to mention super smart. The odd thing was that I walked by the place where his body ended up just today - and I am never downtown - without even knowing.
I am so saddened by this.
Wow. Thanks for sharing that northchgogirl.
He sounds like he was a sensitive soul.
RIP, Charles.
northchgogirl. I thank you. I grew up with Chuck and he was, as you said, kind, generous, and so awfully smart. He is missed and loved.
I would only add to the discussion that it isn't until you lose a loved one to suicide that you realize how deep the tragedy is.
I would ask the folks who comment on this and other such tragedies in the future to exercise a little discipline and make some effort to respect the loss before being so glib in their expressions. You do not know when the loss may become your own.
Chuck deserves better than to be reduced to a gawker walk by. He was a very bright and loving man who had some pretty tough issues inserted into his life.
There but by the grace of God go all of us.
We love you and miss you Chuck. Be at peace.