A man who jumped to his death from the 18th floor of his high-rise apartment in Manhattan has been identified as Bed Bath and Beyond Chief Financial Officer Gustavo Arnal.
The NYPD said in a statement Sunday that Arnal, 52, was found unconscious and unresponsive outside his luxury 57-story skyscraper in the neighborhood of Tribeca around 12:30 p.m. Friday. Police said the CFO “appeared to suffer from injuries indicative from a fall from an elevated position.” EMS responded and pronounced him dead, police said.
The building is also known to locals as the “Jenga” building in Tribeca and apartments go up to $50 million.
A law enforcement source said that Arnal’s wife, who was home at the time, witnessed him jump.
According to emergency radio transmissions, he landed on the roof of a building next door.
Although it seems apparent that a suicide occurred, the medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death and New York officials will be continuing an investigation.
Bed Bath & Beyond left a statement following Arnal’s death, stating they’re
“profoundly saddened by this shocking loss.”
The Independent Chair of Bed Bath & Beyond’s Board of Directors Harriet Edelman said, “I wish to extend our sincerest condolences to Gustavo’s family.”
Edelman added, “Our focus is on supporting his family and his team and our thoughts are with them during this sad and difficult time. Please join us in respecting the family’s privacy.
According to CNN, Bed Bath & Beyond is in financial trouble and trying all they can to stay out of bankruptcy. The chain said it will layoff about 20% of their corporate employees and close around 150 stores.
Arnal was named as a defendant in a class action lawsuit accusing him, Ryan Cohen and other large shareholders of engaging in a “pump and dump” scheme to artificially inflate the price of the company’s stock.
The lawsuit was filed on August 23 in United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Arnal sold 55,013 shares of the company on August 16 according to a Reuters report.
He joined Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. in May 2020 following a career in finance at Avon, Walgreens Boots Alliance and Procter & Gamble.
