Metro

Dobbs Ferry valedictorian plunges to death from 14th floor Columbia dorm

A talented Columbia freshman plunged to her death from a 14th-floor dorm window last night in an apparent suicide, law enforcement sources said.

Martha Corey-Ochoa, 18, fell out of her room in John Jay Hall on West 114th Street at around 11 p.m., according to law enforcement sources and the Columbia Spectator student newspaper.

The freshman — valedictorian of her class at Dobbs Ferry High School — had been treated for mental health issues in the past, law enforcement sources said, and was taking undisclosed medications.

She died at nearby St. Luke’s Hospital.

Corey-Ochoa was assigned to a 14th-floor single room, with no roommate, students said.

Yesterday was the first day on campus for incoming freshman, moving in from the New York metropolitan area. So last night would have been Corey-Ochoa’s first evening away from home.

Freshman and 14th-floor John Jay Hall resident Lucas Zeppetello, 19, said cops immediately secured Corey-Ochoa’s room late last night and didn’t let any students enter or exit the building.

“People were getting ready to go to a party but then I found out the building was sealed off and nobody was being allowed out or in,” Zeppetello said. “I was in my room and nobody bothered me. I didn’t even poke my head out.”

John Jay Hall students had gathered at 9 p.m. to go over dorm rules, but it wasn’t clear if Corey-Ochoa attended the meet-and-greet.

“There were a lot of people there,” Zeppetello said. “Everybody was exchanging names.”

The freshman’s Facebook page painted the picture of a young intellectual with an incredible range of tastes.

Her favorite musicians included Beethoven, Rihanna and Bruce Springsteen.

Corey-Ochoa said she enjoyed reading “Twilight” and Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment.”

She listed English literature, physics and calculus under her interests.

“We are terribly saddened to tell you of the untimely death of one of our Class of 2012 graduates, Martha Corey-Ochoa,” Dobbs Ferry schools superintendent Lisa Brady said in a prepared statement.

“A brilliant student and last year’s valedictorian, Martha had just begin her freshman year at Columbia University.”

Brady extolled Corey-Ochoa’s skills in music, Spanish language, math and writing.

In her high school graduation speech, the valedictorian urged classmates to open their hearts — an act which would allow them to see and experience “true beauty and ultimate happiness.”

But in a sadly prophetic warning, she told fellow students not to overreact to a moment’s passion.

She cited William Shakespeare’s Othello — the literary Moorish general in the Venetian army who opted for suicide over a lifetime of remorse and tainted reputation.

“We must take caution not to let our own love act without the guidance of knowledge. Sometimes an act of passion may seem like a true expression of love, but it will actually hurt both the lover and his beloved,” the grad said.

“Before we act, we must consider the consequences of our actions.”

The coed’s Dobbs Ferry neighbors remembered Corey-Ochoa as a quiet young lady, who was “completely devoted” to her parents.

The student was regularly seen taking long walks with her dad George Ochoa and gardening with her mom Melinda Corey.

George Ochoa is a prolific author, having penned dozens of books — many used as school text — on such varied subjects as Hispanic American history, North American history, biology, science fiction, art, history of horror movies, Caesar, theology and bicycling.

The background of George Ochoa’s Facebook page is a picture of messy book stacks.

“She was completely devoted to her parents, she was always with her parents,” said nurse Roberta Reynolds, an Ashford Avenue neighbor of the family.

“She was a quiet girl, a very studious girl. Whatever happened, she was not used to being away from the family. If she did do this, it’s because she didn’t want to disappoint her family. I don’t know how the family will cope without her.”

Another neighbor, 54-year-old Cheryl Beer, called the Columbia freshman “driven” and bound to be a success in any field she chose.

“There was no question she was going to be successful,” said Beer. “Everything she did she was driven to do. We used to hear her playing violin when most kids were out playing.”

Dobbs Ferry mom Julie Lowy, whose daughter was a classmate of Corey-Ochoa’s, called the Columbia freshman’s death “a tragedy for the community.”

“She never said a bad word about anybody. She didn’t gossip,” said Lowy, as she packed up for her daughter’s departure to Princeton this weekend. “She liked to go out to dinner, to go out for ice cream.”

John Jay Hall dorm houses freshmen, most of whom moved in yesterday, according to students.

“Everyone was out here seconds after it happened,” said witness Efraim Ramos, 54. “Everyone was in the street, it was packed.”

Two freshmen who were the first to find the woman laying on Amsterdam Avenue were in shock after the grisly discovery.

“One EMT and one nurse came running out of St. Luke’s,” a school security officer quoted one of the students saying.

“We were walking down and we just saw her there,” the student told the officer.

A Columbia spokesman declined comment.

The apparent suicide cast a dark cloud on the busy Morningside Heights campus, as parents rushed to help move in their kids.

“As a parent, I’m very concerned,” said Tian Wong, 46, mom of freshman Tia Zhao, 17.

“My daughter is very shy and introverted so I hope there are places for her to seek help because it is a very big campus.”

Her daughter Tia added: “Right now, it’s very overwhelming. It’s my second day of school. Maybe she had a not-so-great experience and thought `How am I going to get through the next four years?’ “

Another student said the first-night tragedy has classmates “shaken up.”

“I know people are doing psychological counseling over the phone,” an 18-year-old female freshman said.

“I know a lot of people are shaken up. Last night was the first night on campus. It was a strange start.”

Additional reporting by Dan Mangan, Kevin Sheehan, Natasha Velez, Philip Messing, Larry Celona and David K. Li