UPDATE: Coroner identifies man who died after jumping from rooftop at Lancaster Marriott
A man died Tuesday night after jumping from The Exchange rooftop restaurant and bar on top of the Lancaster Marriott Hotel in downtown Lancaster.
Dispatchers with Lancaster County-Wide Communications reported the incident at 8:49 p.m., saying the individual died by the time first responders arrived.
LNP | LancasterOnline does not generally report on suicides or suicide attempts unless the person is well known or the circumstances are unusual or public.
Former LNP | LancasterOnline reporter Jeff Hawkes was dining inside at the Exchange when he saw the man climb a glass partition lining the outer perimeter of the restaurant’s outdoor seating area. Hawkes said the man crouched on the ledge for a few moments before jumping.
“Everyone was just shocked when it happened,” Hawkes said. “It happened so fast.”
Hawkes said the restaurant was cleared after the incident and staff appeared to be shaken up.
Hawkes was a reporter for LNP | LancasterOnline and its predecessor organizations before retiring in 2021.
Dispatchers reported that police were on the scene and the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office was notified.
