Metro

Ad exec death plunge likely caused by defective balcony railing at building: sources

Jennifer Rosoff

Jennifer Rosoff

FATAL WEAKNESS: Sources say the balcony from which Jennifer Rosoff fell and all others in her apartment building were not up to code. (
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The stunning ad exec who plunged to her death from the balcony of her high-rise East Side apartment was sitting on a death trap, sources told The Post yesterday.

Every balcony at the prewar building Stonehenge 57 on East 57th Street near First Avenue, including the one where Jennifer Rosoff sat, was “deemed defective or not up to code,” a law-enforcement source said.

“They weren’t strong enough to hold her up,” said another law-enforcement source. “All of the apartment balconies were defective or not up to code.”

Rosoff, 35, on a first date with Stephen Close, 35, was on her 17th-floor balcony for a smoke at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday when the railing broke and she plummeted to her death.

A source told The Post that Rosoff had been engaged until recently and that her former fiancé has been extremely distraught, thinking Rosoff still would be alive if they hadn’t broken up.

Tenants in Rosoff’s building were barred yesterday from stepping out onto their terraces and balconies until inspections had been done.

The city Department of Buildings said Stonehenge was six months late in filing a facade report and could face a $1,500 fine.

“They needed to file the report by August 2012, but they filed it on Feb. 21, 2013,” a Buildings representative said.

According to agency policy, a $250-per-month late fee is usually assessed, but it’s unclear if that penalty had been levied.

Richard Dansereau, managing director of Stonehenge Management, said in a statement that it was premature to speculate on the cause.

“Understandably, there are a lot of questions and speculation regarding this terrible tragedy,” Dansereau said.

“The fact remains that there is an ongoing investigation into the matter and we are cooperating fully. At this time it would be inappropriate for us to make any definitive statement or respond to any specific inquiry that may be related to the investigation.”

Meanwhile, Rosoff’s family was reeling from the tragic death.

Her sister, Alexis Treeby, said Rosoff was selfless and an “adored” aunt.

“She was a lovely person,” Treeby said. “She loved my kids. She adored my children and they adored her. She was kind and generous.”

The night she died, Rosoff had dined with Close at the Mexican restaurant Maya. They returned to Rosoff’s apartment to enjoy a late-night smoke and a nightcap on her balcony.

The woman brushed off Close’s pleas to step down from the railing.

“I’ve done this before,” she told him. The railing then buckled and Rosoff fell to her death.

Additional reporting by Lorena Mongelli and M.L. Nestel