How Elvita Adams Jumped Off a Building and Survived

Some of the most iconic landmarks tend to have dark stories surrounding them, especially in New York City. The city that never sleeps has had many people take their own lives by plummeting toward the Earth.

Elvita Adams, a 29-year-old single mother, miraculously survived her attempt to jump from the Empire State Building. After leaping from the 86th-floor observation deck on Dec. 2, 1979, she landed on a three-foot ledge about 20 feet below.

History Defined states that the Bronx resident was going through a depressive episode after losing her job, and housing insecurities were putting increasing pressure on the single mom. Her $100 welfare checks were not enough to lift the burdens of the extreme difficulties Adams faced.

Although no one saw Adams climb the fence and jump, a gust of wind pushed the woman onto a ledge of the 85th floor, leaving her alive but with a broken hip. George Riece, a night supervisor at the Empire State Building, told The New York Times that a guard heard calls for help around 8:15 p.m.

Not much is known about Elvita Adams today. Adams lived a private life after her brief brush with death, making it difficult for anyone to keep track of the first person to survive jumping off the Empire State Building.

Located at West 34th Street in Manhattan, New York, the Empire State Building is one of the most recognized landmarks in New York City. It was once known as the highest building in the city, reaching 1,454 feet. A dark and wild history lingers in the building.

There is a toll that comes with constructing awe-stunning projects. The Empire State Building took five workers’ lives in slip-and-fall or struck-by accidents over its 13 months (1929–1930) of construction, according to official records.

At least 36 people have jumped off the Empire State Building since the iconic landmark was constructed on March 17, 1930. The first record of a man jumping off the building was on April 7, 1931, before the project was completed.

The first death happened in February 1935. Irma P. Eberhardt jumped from the observatory floor of the Empire State Building, falling 1,029 feet before she landed on a marquee sign. According to Daily News, the 27-year-old leaped to her death after she and her partner got into a fight.

Perhaps one of the most famous incidents of someone jumping off a building was Evelyn McHale. The 23-year-old plunged off the building in 1947. After jumping from the 86th-floor observation deck, the young woman adorned in petals and gloves leapt to her death.

There have been plenty of other deaths to plague the Empire State Building. On July 28, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the side of the building. The crash was caused by the U.S. Army Air Forces plane flying in a thick layer of fog.

On Jan. 24, 2000, an elevator in the building started to free-fall 40 stories. The elevator fell from the 44th floor to the fourth floor, where the narrowed elevator shaft provided a second safety system if the cable snapped.