A hole in the roof of an empty second-floor office of the Belvedere is a stark reminder of how Rey Rivera died.
The Baltimore man, who had been missing for more than a week, allegedly jumped from the top of the landmark, crashing through a roof and landing on the floor of an empty office that once housed a church, where his body was discovered by a building employee after a tenant complained of a “bad smell.”
And while it has been reported that Rivera may have committed suicide, police said that, based on the evidence, they are not ruling anything out.
“There?s no way he could jump out that far,” said an unidentified Belvedere employee Thursday, pointing to the hole in the roof that is a considerable distance from the edge of the Belvedere?s main building. “I don?t see how a man that size could have jumped out a window either,” he said.
Rivera, 32, was a freelance employee working on a special project for Stansbury and Associates, a division of Agora Inc., a well-known finance and investment group in Mount Vernon. An official at the company who asked not to be identified said that “everyone here is shocked by the news.
Rivera disappeared May 16 without a trace, failing to show up for work. Friends and family searched for Rivera, until his car was found undisturbed in a parking lot next to the Beveldere. A source close to the investigation said his credit card was not used and nothing was stolen.
People familiar with the Belvedere told The Examiner that access to the roof, from which Rivera allegedly jumped, is restricted. The elevators are operated with keys, and access to the upper floors are generally limited to residents. The one exception is the 13th floor, where the popular Oak Room lounge is located.
Police spokeswoman Nicole Monroe said police have yet to reach a conclusion. “As of right now, they have not ruled, but they are exploring the possibility of suicide,” Monroe said.
