Vessel at NYC's Hudson Yards is CLOSED indefinitely just days after murder suspect jumped to his death from 16-story sculpture - the third suicide since it opened less than two years ago

The Vessel sculpture towering over the Hudson Yards development on Manhattan’s west side has been closed to the public indefinitely following a string of suicides in the last 12 months.

The 150-foot-high artwork in the shape of an inverted beehive, made up of stairways and platforms, opened in March 2019. Since then, it has been the site of three self-inflicted deaths, the most recent of which took place on Monday, when a 21-year-old man suspected of killing his mother in Texas took his own life.

New York City leaders have urged the developer to install higher barriers to stave off further suicide attempts at the attraction.   

The New York Times reported Wednesday that the site's developer, Related Companies, was talking to psychiatrists and others about how to reduce the potential for future suicides.

They follow in the footsteps of other tall NYC landmarks who have all been forced to add fences or netting in a bid to save lives.  

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The Vessel sculpture at the Hudson Yards in Manhattan has been closed to the public indefinitely following a string of suicides 

A sign was erected outside the entrance of the Vessel warning it was closed on Thursday, January 14

On Monday, 21-year-old Franklin Washington jumped to his death from the top of the 16-story sculpture. Washington was a person of interest in his mother's murder in Texas

Washington, from San Antonio, was found dead at the bottom of the sculpture before noon 

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Lowell Kern, the chairman of the local community board, told the Times that a Related representative informed him the sculpture was closed until further notice, and that the board would be informed of preventative measures that would be taken before the Vessel was re-opened to the public.

The closure was announced as police identified the person who took his own life on Monday by jumping off the Vessel as 21-year-old Franklin Washington. 

New York police were calling relatives in Texas to notify them of Washington's death when they discovered that he was being sought as a person of interest in the stabbing death of his mother, reported the New York Post.

Michelle Washington-Hart, 56, was found murdered inside her apartment in the 7600 block of Highway 90 East in San Antonio on Friday, after family members were unable to reach her and requested a welfare check, reported KSAT. 

A spokesperson for the San Antonio Police Department said Washington was not listed as a 'wanted' person on any active cases, but she did say the suicide and homicide were related.  

The structure includes glass barriers for visitors' safety but there are concerns that they only reach chest height

Concerns have been raised previously about the chest-high barriers at the Vessel, with some critics warning that the site would attract people seeking to commit suicide 

The Vessel consists of 154 flights of stairs, which takes 2,500 steps, and 80 landings that visitors are able to climb

A long way down: A view fro the Vessel which stands at 150ft tall with views across the Hudson Yards

The developers behind the Vessel are currently speaking to psychologists to see how they can prevent further deaths 

On December 22, Yocheved Gourarie, 24 (left and right), died by suicide at the Vessel. She posthumously shared a suicide note in a scheduled Instagram post 

Peter DeSalvo, 19, leapt to his death off the structure’s 16th story in front of dozens of tourists in February 2020. DeSalvo, of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, was a freshman at Sacred Heart University where he also played rugby

Three weeks earlier, 24-year-old Yocheved Gourarie, from Brooklyn, committed suicide at the Vessel. 

The next day, on December 23, her apparent suicide note was shared in a posthumous scheduled post on her Instagram account.

Gourarie then wrote: 'Hey. This is pretty surreal isn’t it? One might say uncomfortable. Jarring. Just close the app now if you want. I guess if you don’t know by now you should probably sit down.

'If you’re reading this, I’m gone. Either that or somehow incapacitated in the hospital so I can’t delete this scheduled post. I really hope I’m not though.'

Gourarie wrote that she didn't 'care to go into the reasons why I’m gone, but there are certainly more than thirteen,' referencing the popular young adult novel and Netflix TV series, 13 Reasons Why, about high school students in the wake of a classmate's suicide.

The George Washington Bridge in 2017 added an 11-foot-high fence, along with netting, after a spate of suicides 

Empire State Building, which has been the site of more than 30 suicides since its opening in 1931, has a 10-foot-height barrier on the 86th floor observation deck. 

In her final message, she acknowledged posting her suicide note would likely cause her parents pain.

‘I don’t want to do that, I just want to leave my last mark on this world,' Gourarie wrote.

'All of you have made my life so much more full, brighter, and happier than it would have been without you. Your support, your encouragement, your hugs, your invitations, your smiles, your texts, your tagging me in memes you think I’d find funny.'

She ended the post by writing 'I love you.'

The first suicide at the Vessel occurred in February 2020, when 19-year-old Connecticut college student Peter DeSalvo, leapt to his death off the structure’s 16th story in front of dozens of tourists.

The attraction wil remain close for the forseeable future until the developers can prevent more suicides

Kern, the community board chairman, told the Times he believes the most effective way to thwart further suicide attempts is to increase the height of the barriers. 'After three suicides, at what point does the artistic vision take a back seat to safety?' he said

The low barriers allow unrestricted views but offer little obstacle for those wanting to end their own lives

A view of the Vessel from the Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards, from across the street

Concerns previously have been raised about the Vessel's chest-height railings, with Audrey Wachs, the former associate editor of The Architect’s Newspaper, writing in 2016: 'when you build high, folks will jump'

DeSalvo, of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, was a freshman at Sacred Heart University where he also played rugby.

The Vessel was created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick and cost an eye-watering $200million.

When the attraction is open, visitors have the opportunity to trek up 80 landings - or 2,500 steps.

The entire Hudson Yards development came with a price tag of $25billion took 10 years to complete. 

Concerns previously have been raised about the Vessel's chest-height railings, with Audrey Wachs, the former associate editor of The Architect’s Newspaper, writing in 2016: 'when you build high, folks will jump.'

Kern, the community board chairman, told the Times he believes the most effective way to thwart further suicide attempts is to increase the height of the barriers. 

'After three suicides, at what point does the artistic vision take a back seat to safety?' he said. 

Other tall structures in New York City, including bridges and skyscrapers, have long drawn people seeking to commit suicide.

The George Washington Bridge connecting New Jersey to New York was the site of 15 suicides between 2015 and 2017, when the Port Authority made the decision to install an 11-foot-high fence, along with netting.

The Empire State Building, which has been the site of more than 30 suicides since its opening in 1931, has a 10-foot-height barrier on the 86th floor observation deck.

For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255