Man in coma from balcony fall in Surry Hills following dating app meet-up
Image: Image: NSW Police.
New South Wales police are seeking information about a potential witness to a balcony fall in Surry Hills which left a man in a medically-induced coma.
Police were called to the Surry Hills apartment block on Brisbane St on Sunday November 4 around 4pm where the man had been impaled on a table leg after falling three stories from a balcony.
The man is currently in a medically-induced coma in St. Vincent’s Hospital having suffered critical head and spinal injuries, The Australian reported.
The 37-year-old is a Swedish and American national and Surry Hills Local Area Command detectives believe he had earlier met up with the other man via a dating app.
Police are appealing for the witness to contact police to assist with inquiries, and today released images and CCTV footage in the hopes that he may be identified.
He has been described as “Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance with a slim build, dark hair, and at the time was wearing a dark t-shirt and grey jeans.”
Anyone with information about the man is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.
“The person hasn’t been pushed, for some reason he has jumped, but we still haven’t been able to establish the reason why,” said Detective Superintendent Gavin Wood.
Wood said the witness is aware that the man has gone over the balcony, and may be able to provide the rationale for jumping, and said app users should remain “situationally aware”.
“Know who you are meeting, where you’re meeting them, what their intentions are and perhaps establish some safeguards beforehand such as providing close friends with those details.”
“I want to emphasise this very, very clearly, we seek the public’s help and assistance in trying to establish the person depicted in that imagery,” Wood said.
“That person is a witness, I want to make that very very clear. He is a witness to this inquiry as we speak.
“And the appeal also includes making a call to that person to come forward and let us know the reason and the rationale around the circumstances around the fall.”
