A 60 year old Conshohocken resident, William Ruoff, was identified by police in Ithaca, NY as the person who jumped to his death at Ithaca Falls on Tuesday. While police have not determined the specific reason Ruoff was in Ithaca, Ruoff was a graduate of Cornell, which is in Ithaca.
From the Ithaca Journal:
Around 12:28 p.m. Tuesday, Ruoff jumped from a rocky ledge at the 800 block of Stewart Avenue into a levee of water in the Fall Creek natural area, police said. The body of water led to Ithaca Falls and filters ultimately into Cayuga Lake.
An Ithaca police officer and two members of Cornell’s environmental health and safety team observed Ruoff jump, Officer Jamie Williamson said.
“They stopped to see if they could help the gentleman and check his welfare,” Williamson said. “Shortly after that, the gentleman jumped over the first set of falls.”
You can read the entire report from the Ithaca Journal by clicking here. Below is statement posted to Facebook by the Ithaca Police Department:
Posted by Ithaca Police Department on Thursday, May 14, 2015
Please note that the police report spelled his name Rouaff, but media reports used Rouff, which is the way it is spelled on his Linkedin profile.
Photo of Ithaca Falls from TripAdvisor.com.