More details on a couple who jumped from a New York City building to their deaths have been revealed.
Last week, chiropractor Glenn Scarpelli, 53, and his wife Patricia Colant, 50, were found dead on Friday morning, and police say they each had suicide notes about financial problems. Initially, there were reports citing a New York Police Department source saying they had jumped because they couldn’t pay off their medical expenses, but those turned out to be false.
Chief of detectives Robert Boyce said the source of their financial issues wasn’t clear, The Associated Press reported.
Scarpelli, according to state and federal records, owed tens of thousands of dollars in state and federal taxes. In 2013, he was ordered by a Manhattan federal judge to pay more than $60,000 after he was sued by the government because he didn’t pay off a student loan.
The New York Post first reported that the couple jumped off the ninth floor of a Madison Avenue building where they worked at 5:45 a.m. on Friday.
The two had suicide notes in their pockets saying they “cannot live with” their “financial reality.” The note also read that they “had a wonderful life” and “had everything in life.”
Later, the newspaper reported that Scarpelli spent days and nights volunteering his time at the World Trade Center following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It published photos of him volunteering after the attacks.
“We helped adjust for stressed and freaked out firefighters, policemen anyone who needed help,” said Adam Lamb, who volunteered alongside Scarpelli, according to The Post. “He was just an amazing, amazing, generous person.”
“He just wanted to help people,” said Amy Lambert, who rented a room in Scarpelli’s Madison Wellness Center. At his own practice, Scarpelli “never turned anyone away if they couldn’t afford his services,” Lambert said
“It’s so completely out of character for them,” said Lambert. “They were nothing but gentle, kind and grounded.”
Scarpelli was also the son of longtime Brick Township, New Jersey, Mayor Joseph Scarpelli, who served 18 months in a federal prison for taking bribes, according to the news website Brick Shorebeat.
The two left behind two children, ages 19 and 20.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, get immediate help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255. Text messages can also be sent to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 for a trained crisis counselor right away.
Friends Read Free