Palisades Center shopping center to erect suicide barriers after recent death
WEST NYACK – The owners of the Palisades Center are being urged to implement safety measures that could prevent suicides at the massive mall.
There have been a number of jumpers in the mall. The railings on the upper floors and the escalator areas are not equipped with safety devices to prevent people from jumping.
A petition for more safety was the response to a 32-year-old woman from Nyack jumping from an upper floor of the mall on Sunday afternoon. Clarkstown police ruled the woman’s death a suicide.
The petition on Change.org was started by Shannon Hardy of Pearl River, who is calling on mall management to take appropriate measures in the busy mall.
She wrote that Sunday’s death was the 10th death at the mall that she was aware of in recent years.
Clarkstown police did not immediately respond to a request for information about previous suicides at the mall.
Petitioners believe that barriers to suicide prevention could play a crucial role
By Thursday afternoon, Hardy’s petition had 542 signatures, with the goal being 1,000.
“As a local resident, I am disturbed by the lack of safety measures at this highly trafficked location,” Hardy’s petition states. “There are insufficient barriers to deter or prevent suicide attempts, a frightening fact that adds to the grief and heartache felt by many. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, and each of us has a role to play in preventing this tragic loss of life. This is the 10th death at the Palisades Mall in recent years.
She called on the Palisades Center and local authorities to “recognize the critical role they can play in suicide prevention.”
“By implementing suicide barriers and additional safety measures, the mall can provide significant protection against such tragic incidents,” she wrote. “These changes would not only underscore their commitment to the community, but would also result in a safer environment for all visitors by preventing tragic decisions.”
The mall’s marketing director, Keri Cunningham, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the petition.
Built in industrial style, the Palisades Center opened in 1988 after years of discussions and is one of the largest shopping centers in the country.
As for Sunday’s suicide, Clarkstown police performed CPR on the woman before transporting her to Montefiore Nyack Hospital, Detective Norman Peters wrote in a news release.
He added that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers free and confidential support 24/7 for people in distress, as well as prevention and crisis resources and best practices for professionals. Dial 988 or visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.
Clarkstown manager: “We support the mall in doing more”
Clarkstown Mayor George Hoehmann said Thursday that the city supports further suicide prevention measures, but noted that authorities cannot force private companies to act.
He said the city had been pushing for greater security for years.
“It’s private property and the mall’s responsibility,” Hoehmann said. “We support the mall in doing more.”
He said the mall is too big for Clarkstown police patrols or security personnel to stop people from jumping.
“Studies show that people who consider suicide think about it within 24 hours,” he said. “God only knows whether people would have survived if there had been measures in place to prevent them from committing suicide.”
He said the mall could raise railings, put up barriers and install decorative netting to make it harder for people to jump over the fence and increase their chances of survival. He said other malls have already taken such measures.
“The mall could work on making areas more difficult to access for people who are emotionally distressed and have suicidal thoughts,” Hoehmann said. “We’ve been talking about this for years.”
He pointed out that the mall had posted information about suicide prevention.
The Palisades Center is threatened with foreclosure
The mall was once considered a cash cow for Clarkstown taxpayers and the school district, but a recent tax settlement awarded the owners more than $27 million in back taxes following a legal dispute over the value of the property.
At the same time, the owners of the Syracuse mall are facing foreclosure because a temporary receiver has been appointed. Wilmington Trust is still seeking full foreclosure — selling the mall and its equipment, with lenders receiving the proceeds to pay off a delinquent mortgage, interest and court costs.
More: Judge appoints interim receiver for Palisades Center as foreclosure proceedings continue
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police and investigations. You can reach him at [email protected] Twitter: @lohudlegal
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