15-year old girl dies after falling from roof in Hell's Kitchen

HELL'S KITCHEN, Manhattan (WABC) -- A family is grieving the loss of a teenage girl after she fell to her death from the roof of a Manhattan building.

Candles are set up outside Ray's Pizzeria after the restaurant owner's granddaughter fell five stories.

Police say 15-year old Natalya Jimenez and her friends were jumping from roof to roof in Hell's Kitchen.

It happened around 4:26 p.m. Friday in the alleyway of 699 10th Avenue.

Police responded to a 911 call and found Natalya unresponsive and unconscious.

She was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

"They took my baby girl, she was a good girl, she never got into trouble, she was happy, she was funny, she made everybody laugh," said Agatha Mangano, the victim's mother.

She was the youngest of three children, and Natalya Jimenez was clearly adored by everyone in her large close-knit family.

"Smart, honor student, she was in her first year at Hudson High School," Mangano said.

"My granddaughter is the best girl in New York. Number one in the school," said Rosalino Mangano, the victim's grandfather.

Newscopter 7 was over the scene during the desperate attempt to save her life.

"Once the girl stopped breathing, her hand came out of the blanket, and then they started giving her CPR," said Jessica Soto, a witness said.

Investigators say Jimenez was with two of her girlfriends, both 14 years old, who were jumping from building to building on 10th Avenue between 47th and 48th streets.

The openings between the buildings are about 4 feet wide.

"My daughter was afraid of heights; she'd never been on the roof here. She wouldn't even go on the fire escape, so I think foul play is involved and I want justice," Mangano said.

Police say they were told by a resident to get down, and as they were leaving, the victim fell into an alleyway.

"The two girls who were with her, they were crying, they were blaming each other and crying like, 'Oh it's my fault, it's my fault,'" Soto said.

The investigation is ongoing.