New York adds ‘suicide net’ around Vessel

NEW YORK’S climbable structure known as the Vessel is to reopen later this year with a steel net surrounding it after a series of suicides forced the site to close in 2021.

The 46-metre (150ft) attraction will install a “floor-to-ceiling steel mesh” barrier on several of its stairways and platforms, a spokesman told The New York Times.

The new safety measure will preserve the “unique experience that has drawn millions of visitors from around the globe”, the company that owns Hudson Yards, the development where the Vessel is located, said.

The $200 million (£160 million) honeycomb-like sculpture, located on Manhattan’s west side, opened in 2019 but closed two years later after four people jumped to their deaths from it.

The first fatality occurred in February 2020 when a 19-year-old man leapt from the sixth floor. Just ten months later, a 24-year-old woman jumped from the top level.

The third death was that of a 21-yearold man in January 2021.

This led to the Vessel being closed indefinitely but it was later reopened with new safety features, including enhanced security and suicide prevention signs.

Perhaps the biggest new safety introduction was the introduction of a ban on climbing the sculpture alone. Tourists were required to be with at least one other person to enter the structure and pay an entrance fee of $10.

But the measure proved unsuccessful. Two months after reopening a 14-year-old boy jumped to his death just 10 feet from his family.

An exact date for the reopening has not been announced.