Elvita Adams was fascinated. She was famous for surviving a 1979 Empire State Building jump.
Famous skyscrapers include the Empire State Building. The 1931 downtown New York City building has 102 stories. It was one of the world’s tallest buildings when Adams jumped.
The iconic tower is 1,250 feet tall and symbolizes the city. Visitors may come for deeper, gloomy causes.
Since its completion, the structure has seen multiple suicide attempts from the top. Most notably, 23-year-old Evelyn McHale died after she plummeted from the 86th story in 1947. This suicide was called “the most beautiful suicide” as a photography student took a picture of McHale’s body lying sweetly on the automobile she landed on.
Many have followed. Tragically, over a dozen have jumped from the iconic observation platform.
Jumpers attempt to jump from the Empire State Building despite safety barriers. This makes it a world-famous suicide attempt site.
Elvita Adams’ fall was unusual, making her story stand out. She survived.
Adams Pre-Fall Life
It was 1979. Elvita Adams, 29, lived in the Bronx. Few knew her before her fateful fall made her famous.
Money was tight for Adams in the weeks before the fall. She may have quit or been dismissed. Despite receiving $100 in welfare checks, she struggled to survive.
The money didn’t cover her rent. Her landlord threatened to evict her and her 10-year-old. Adams must have felt more tension and despair.
Everything appeared to lead Elvita Adams to attempt suicide on December 2, 1979.
Elvita Adams drove from the Bronx to Manhattan on a December Sunday afternoon, allegedly wanting to see the city lights. She subsequently said the lights were so beautiful she wanted to touch them.
She found herself near the Empire State Building, confused about what to do as her thoughts became darker. Adams climbed over the 86th-floor observation deck railing.
She jumped to die. The jump made headlines and left a legacy.
Jumping From the Empire State Building, 86th Floor
Elvita Adams jumped from downtown Manhattan’s 86th-floor Empire State Building observation deck at 8:15 p.m. on December 2, 1979.
Falling from such heights is usually fatal. Reaching the ground alive is nearly impossible in any scenario.
Elvita Adams amazingly lived. Critically, she did not reach the streets and concrete below. Instead, she landed on a two-and-a-half-foot ledge 20 feet down on the 85th floor.
Did she jump off the observation deck to die? If so, how did she land one floor below?
According to investigators, powerful wind gusts between 23 and 38 mph that night may have saved her.
The mighty wind likely pushed her backward after leaving her feet. She fell one flight down with minor injuries after being pushed back into the building.
She dubbed it “nothing short of extraordinary” in the following morning’s New York Times. The headline read, “Woman Survives Fall at the Empire State.” Considering that the wind spared Adams’ life is “extraordinary” enough.
A security guard, Frank Clark, heard Adams shouting for aid after a hard landing, crying in pain. He promptly brought her inside from the 85th-floor ledge where she was lying.
She was rescued through the floor window and sent to Bellevue Hospital. Her worst injury was a pelvic fracture. She appeared fine despite the injury’s severe pain, a miracle.
Fall Aftermath
After being rescued from her Empire State Building fall, Elvita Adams was hospitalized in terrible pain. Possible hip and pelvic fractures were treated.
Her hospital representative stated she was in “satisfactory condition.” She was medically treated and psychiatrically monitored.
The scene’s police guard, Joseph Bay, said Elvita had to climb over the fence to reach the deck. Her fall was a suicide attempt.
After the incident, Elvita said she didn’t know if the wind pushed her back or off and only remembered the discomfort. All of this was covered in the Adirondack Weekly Enterprise in New York.
The incident was widely covered, along with Adirondack Weekly, the New York Times, and Time magazine reporting. Elvita did, too, making this a miraculous survival story.
It is unclear what happened to Adams after she survived or why she attempted suicide.
Some online posts suggest Elvita did stand-up comedy. She reportedly performed a one-woman play on her suicide attempt. All of this seems unlikely.
It’s unclear why Elvita Adams jumped and what happened to her. We can only hope she gets mental health help and overcomes her challenges.
Here’s hoping Elvita Adams, wherever she is, can recover from even the worst traumas with the necessary help and tools.
Now, where is Elvita Adams?
Today, little is known about Elvita Adams. After her near-death experience, Elvita Adams lived in privacy, making it hard for the media to track her.
New York is where some say she became a comic. The one-woman piece “I’ve Been Elvita Adams” by Ashley Llyod Smith was presented in 2011.
Thus, there is a belief that Elvita Adams worked in stand-up comedy. But we can’t confirm. Elvita Adams should be 73 if she is alive.
Her Empire State Building suicide attempts should also be halted.
Unfortunately, on April 25, 2013, a man fell from the 86th-floor observation deck and survived on an 85th-floor ledge with minor injuries. After security officers pulled him inside, paramedics took him to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.