A 16-year-old Brooklyn boy plunged to his death from a cell phone tower on Friday afternoon while attempting to capture photos of the Manhattan skyline for social media, leaving his family devastated and searching for answers.
Timothee Englund, a sophomore at Manhattan Village Academy High School in the Flatiron District, fell from a ladder connected to the tower inside Bushwick Inlet Park at North 10th Street and Kent Avenue around 1:15 p.m. on March 20, 2026. He sustained severe head trauma in the fall. Police responded to a 911 call and rushed the unconscious teen to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The tower, which stands several stories tall on the Brooklyn waterfront, is surrounded by a chain-link fence meant to keep people out. But a large gap underneath the barrier has allowed easy access for years, with youngsters regularly slipping through to climb the structure despite the obvious danger.
Hours after the tragedy, a reporter spotted three young people crawling under the fence and accessing the tower area. “We come in here all the time,” one of them said before leaving upon learning about the fatal fall.
Witnesses told police that Timothee had been taking photos with his phone while climbing the tower. It remains unclear who was with him at the time of the fall or who placed the emergency call. No criminal activity has been detected, and no arrests have been made as the investigation continues.
The teen’s heartbroken parents, Yvette, 52, and Tobias Englund, 57, described their youngest of four children as energetic and athletic. The family lives just six blocks from the park where their son died. They remembered him as a goofy, funny teenager who loved cracking jokes with his dad and spending his free time playing sports.
“He was amazing, he was loving,” his mother Yvette said on Friday night.
The athletic teen loved playing soccer and pickup basketball and had planned to join the wrestling team in the fall. He also spent time at the gym and had worked as a child model. Medical supplies and trash littered the area around the tower after first responders attempted desperately to save his life.
Timothee’s older sister issued an emotional plea to other local teenagers who might be tempted to climb the structure. She urged them to think twice before attempting the dangerous feat that claimed her brother’s life, saying he was “probably one of the best people” she had ever known. Her parents’ hearts and worlds, she said, have been completely shattered by the tragedy.
The park had been bustling with activity on the first day of spring, with temperatures reaching nearly 60 degrees. The waterfront location offers sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline, making it a popular spot for photographers and social media enthusiasts. Bushwick Inlet Park serves as the centerpiece of the Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront and draws visitors from across Brooklyn and beyond.
David, a 24-year-old who visited the park on Saturday, admitted he had climbed the same tower when he was younger. Kids often dared each other to scale it, he said, or would spontaneously challenge themselves to reach the top. The tower’s proximity to local schools draws many young people to the area.
When David learned about Timothee’s death, he was shaken. “It’s just crazy. This could have happened to me,” he said.
A City Parks Department spokesperson acknowledged the tragedy and explained that the tower predates the park development. The spokesperson said maintenance teams make prompt repairs when the fence is vandalized, though those repairs have clearly proven insufficient to keep determined climbers out. Residents say the hole in the fence has been there for years.
Some parkgoers expressed surprise at the lack of security measures following the incident. “You would expect at least police tape or guards or something,” said Daniel, a Williamsburg resident who visited the site on Saturday.
Manhattan Village Academy, the Flatiron District school that Timothee attended, serves students from across the city. His death has left classmates and teachers mourning a promising young athlete and student who was known for his humor and warm personality.
The bereaved parents, who found solace looking through their son’s photos, still don’t know how or why he fell. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fall remains active as authorities work to piece together exactly what happened during those final moments atop the tower.