Before her life came to an end Monday night, Faigy Mayer was the founder, CEO and iOS Developer of Appton, a mobile and web solutions startup.
From her social media accounts, Mayer seemed to be leading a perfect life. On herFacebook, the cover photo shows the woman standing in front of a wall that reads, “life is beautiful.”Mayer’s Twitterbio reads: “Former #hasid who codes in #iOS. Love #coding, #beacons, #bacon, the #appleWatch and life!” On Mayer’s Instagram, there are a number of photos of food, friends, the same “life is beautiful” photo and a photo of a fortune that reads “Be prepared to accept the wondrous opportunity in the days ahead” posted 21 weeks ago. But at 7:30 p.m. Monday, 30-year-old Mayer jumped 20 stories to her death off of the 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar in the Flatiron District. She went over the ledge and landed on the sidewalk of West 27th Street. A passerby, Dale Martin, who witnessed the incident told the New York Post, “I was walking across the street and I saw she was falling.” Another witness, Becky Wittemore said Mayer ran through a big corporate party before jumping off the roof.
“They closed off the section where she jumped from,” Wittmore told the Post. “I think a lot of the people up there had zero clue what was going on.”
According to the Post’s report, after the suicide, “some bar patrons still enjoyed table service at the establishment, where bottles can fetch as much as $300 each.”
Mayer was featured in the 2012 National Geographic Documentary “Inside Hasidism,” which explores the pressures of the religious community.
In the documentary Mayer discusses her personal experience growing up in the Belz Hasidic communities of Williamsburg and Boro Park, Brooklyn and talks about her decision to leave the Hasidic community in order to pursue a secular career in Midtown. Although at first glance Mayer’s social media presence doesn’t appear concerning, there are posts that hint toward stresses stemming from her background. A Facebook post from Feburary 2012 shows a photo of Mayer and who she identifies as her grandmother with the caption, “ Me and my grandma, Helen Frumi Tapick. She hates my guts and is mean to me [frown emoticon] She hates that I left the cult that she joined.” Mayer received a Bachelor of Science from Touro College, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2008, she received a Master of science from City University of New York- Brooklyn College in 2015 and she was awarded a Certificate of Data Science Specialization from The Johns Hopkins University. Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts should reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1 (800) 273-8255. Mayer is being mourned across social media including Twitter.
We weren’t best of friends, but Faigy Mayer and I had similar backgrounds, and we enjoyed each others’ company… http://t.co/XySorfVOYS
— Ari Mandel (@HeathenHassid) July 21, 2015
I’ve lost a fellow iOS developer today, Faigy Mayer. We supossed to meet today but she died. I promised to finish her app. I’ll be working
— Elif Ece Arslan (@exstalis) July 21, 2015
RIP Faigy Mayer. If you need support, please get help. And please reach out to those who may be struggling. http://t.co/kahpzDNL3a
— Manny Waks (@mannywaks) July 21, 2015
Faigy Mayer will be missed dearly.
— Brandon T. Diamond (@brandondiamond) July 21, 2015
Today we remember our friend Faigy Mayer. She shared with us her #founder #dream. Watch her here: https://t.co/85KhjFWxId #supportafriend
— SoTechie Spaces (@SoTechie) July 21, 2015
There is no reference to the tragedy on 230 Fifths Facebook page.
