Climbing to the roof to see the light, Australian diplomat falls to his death

30-year-old Australian diplomat Julian Simpson died after falling from his apartment on the 7th floor of a high-rise building in New York on the morning of November 15.

SheetSydney Morning Herald"Julian Simpson was a big gamer. He was leaning out of his apartment balcony when the accident happened and lost his balance. There are no suspects in this case, although we are still investigating," New York Police Department spokesman Martin Brown said.

Australian diplomat Julian Simpson. Photo: Reuters

According to Mr. Brown, diplomat Simpson, his wife and a few friends climbed to the roof of the building to watch the 7-color light from the Empire State Tower celebrate the Australian people's vote in favor of same-sex marriage in the referendum on November 14.

Mr. Simpson was so excited that he picked up a friend and spun her around on the roof, despite her husband's objections to such dangerous behavior. In response, Mr. Simpson suggested they play a game to prove that they could trust him.

Part of the game required Mr Simpson to lean out of his apartment balcony while the other two men tried to hold onto his arms to keep him from falling. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to prevent Mr Simpson from falling to his death from the seventh floor of the building.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: “It is a tragedy and our hearts go out to the Simpson family, although I cannot provide any further details at this time.”

Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said: “Simpson was a hard-working, professional and talented diplomat. I greatly appreciated his support, especially during UN Leaders Week. He will always be remembered as a man of great devotion to his country.”

According to VOV