Caribbean news. A naked NYU freshman high on hallucinogenic mushrooms plunged to his death from the roof of his dorm in the East Village early Monday — the first day of the spring semester, cops and witnesses said.
Titan Lee-Hai, 18, plummeted 15 stories from the Third North Residence Hall at 75 Third Ave. near East 11th Street at about 3:20 a.m., police and witnesses told The Post.
“He was on mushrooms,’’ a law-enforcement source told The Post.
Shazi Khurshid, a fellow NYU freshman, said he was the last person to see Lee-Hai alive — and it was clear he was completely out of it.
“I was in the elevator, and he just walked in and punched me in the face. He was naked when he walked in,’’ said Khurshid, 19. “So, it was pretty obvious he was not in his senses.’’
Khurshid said the teen, who lived on the second floor, urinated on the ground before riding the elevator up to the roof.
Lee-Hai — a native of Port-of-Spain in Trinidad — was alone when he opened the roof door, triggering the fire alarm, before his plunge, law-enforcement sources said.
Cops said he had been out partying with a pal, who is not an NYU student, before his death. They were looking for the friend to talk to him, sources said.
Lee-Hai, who friends said was a liberal-studies major, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Titan Lee Hai. Photo courtesy scallywagandvagabond.com
Early in the day, cops said they were treating Lee-Hai’s death as a suicide. But sources said it was possible the victim may have accidentally fallen or leaped under the influence of the drugs.
Sources said the victim left no suicide note and that there was no suggestion he was suffering from depression.
A freshman who declined to give his name described Lee-Hai as one of the happiest kids he knew.
“He danced, he produced, he wrote music,” he said.
You hear stories about people getting high on shrooms or acid and just losing it.”
A female pal added, “He was a very good guy. He was very sweet. Whatever happened, he wasn’t like that at all. He wasn’t into [drugs]. He wanted to make a music video.’’
Lee-Hai had returned from a trip to Trinidad last Friday to start his first day of classes for the spring semester this week, according to his Twitter account.
NYU students left flowers in the courtyard in memory of the victim, said 18-year old Keith Ferrara.
“People are upset. A lot of people are shaken up. I was pretty excited heading in today, but it’s hard for it to be exciting now,” he said.
Friends and fans of the victim, whose stage name was Trizzykid, expressed shock and disbelief as tributes were posted on his Facebook and Twitter accounts following the news of his death.
“RIP to one of Trinidad’s most prolific young talents Titan Lh… It was truly a great honor to have performed with you while you were alive,” wrote Ayinde NinjaBoi Nurse.
Shania Starkiss described him as “crazy talented and gave the best advice ever”, while Teflon-Don Creese wrote “We have lost a star and another saint.”
“Only God knows why he wanted you so early bro. RIP Titan aka Trizzykid… Entertain them in Heaven bro,” added DJ Adam#2MV on Twitter.
Another freshman who lives in the dorm said everyone was evacuated when Lee-Hai triggered the alarm.
“My friends said they saw a body lying in the courtyard. It’s sad,” she said.
Ferrara said he saw fire trucks and police lines everywhere when he went outside.
“So I knew it was more than a fire,” he said. “We had to have been out there for 30 to 45 minutes, and they sent some of us to other dorm rooms.”
NYU said in a statement that it’s investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
“Police and the University are looking into the events preceding the discovery of the body in order to determine the cause and nature of his death,” said university spokesman John Beckman in a statement.
Beckman said NYU was offering help for students who may have been traumatized by the incident.
“We want to remind students of the availability of help around the clock at NYU… and we want everyone to remember that you will not get in trouble for calling in professional staff… to help when someone is struggling with an immediate problem.”
Article by Bob Fredericks and Minsi Chung for http://nypost.com
