A young window washer fell seven stories to his death while working at Columbia University’s School of Nursing in Washington Heights, police said Tuesday.

The state Labor Department is investigating the incident, which happened around 9:10 a.m. on Sunday on W. 168th St. near Broadway.

Police said that Ander Bustamante, 25, plunged more than 70 feet to the ground when his safety harness snapped.

The city Buildings Department, which conducted a preliminary investigation before the state took it over, said the victim “was a maintenance worker performing window cleaning operations.”

Bustamante was rushed by medics to nearby New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia, but he could not be saved.

He lived in Kearny, N.J. Originally Published: October 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM EDT

See Full Page