WASHINGTON — A man is dead after a 10-story fall down a boiler shaft from the roof of The Dupont Circle Hotel in Northwest early Sunday, officials said.
The victim was John Leonard, 23, of Herndon, Virginia.
Officials were called to the 1500 block of New Hampshire Avenue NW at around 2:30 a.m., where Leonard had fallen from the roof, down a boiler shaft and into the basement, according to D.C. Fire and EMS.
Tech Rescue 1500 Block N. Hampshire Ave NW. 1 victim fell from roof down boiler shaft to basement. Victim located & being assessed by EMS.
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) January 1, 2017
The Washington Post reported that the he was a guest of the hotel, and had gone up to the roof with another person, possibly his girlfriend.
“It looks like a fall,” D.C. spokesperson Rachel Schaerr told The Post. “He went up to the roof to catch a really good view.”
It took firefighters about an hour to retrieve his body, The Post reported.
Mark Caldwell, one of the hotel’s managers, called the incident “a tragic accident,” in a prepared statement, but did not provide details on how the Leonard got to the roof or how he fell into the shaft.
