Apparent suicide from Marina Towers, police confirm

March 25, 2009 – Chicago police are investigating the death of a man who jumped from the east residential tower at Marina City on Wednesday morning.

It happened at about 8:45 a.m. A man in his 50s “apparently jumped from the 28th floor,” according to police officer Laura Kubiak. “It does appear to be nothing criminal at this time. It does appear to be a suicide.”

Witnesses say the man hit a light pole, then a parked car, before landing on State Street. The car was a red four-door sedan owned by Hans Aeschbacher, Executive Chef of Smith & Wollensky. A photograph by the Chicago Tribune shows considerable damage to the car’s roof and windshield on the driver’s side. No one was in the car at the time.

According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office, the man’s name was Thomas Beal. The cause of death, according to spokesperson Pamela Smith, was “mutiple injuries due to a fall from height and it was ruled a suicide.”

On the 28th floor of the east tower, unit 2831 faces State Street. It is a one-bedroom unit owned by Lun Hsu of Lincolnshire, Illinois.

The Tribune reports a 911 call was made about a despondent man at Marina Towers before the body was found lying on the street. The State Street bridge over the river was closed to traffic until about 11:30. (Left) State Street and east residential tower at Marina City late Wednesday morning. Updated April 17, 2009