An elderly patient died after he fell three stories from a hospital in New Jersey, officials said.
The 72-year-old man, who has not yet been identified, was found unresponsive on the ground outside of the Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville around 6:15 a.m. this morning, police told NJ.com.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, cops said.
Upon arrival, “Officers observed several bedsheets and blankets tied together forming a makeshift rope coming from a third-floor window,” Belleville Detective Lt. John McAloon told the outlet.
The patient had been hospitalized for around six months. Police said he fell from a floor that was designated for long-term care but it’s not clear why he was admitted.
He was under no special supervision or orders that would have stopped him from walking out of the front doors of the hospital whenever he wanted.