A student plunged to her death from a forbidden clock tower after reportedly climbing it to take photos for Instagram. Sydney Monfries, 22, died of her injuries Sunday after she fell 30 feet from the Fordham University campus building in New York City. Police said Monfries sent a Snapchat video moments before she slipped through an opening in a landing and plummeted to her death. Other friends have said she was hoping to get some shots for Instagram. Sydney Monfries, 22, died Sunday after she fell from a clock tower on Fordham University’s campus in the Bronx, New York (Picture: Facebook) The tower at Keating Hall at Fordham University is supposed to be off limits for students (Picture: Chriscobar/Wikipedia) Authorities told the New York Post that Monfries had been on the tower in Keating Hall, which is the campus’s most recognizable landmark. One student called Anne said: ‘I heard they were just getting a better view of the city. I think they were posting on Instagram.’ Another student named Dave said Monfries was with a group of friends that included his roommate. ‘My roommate was with them.He told me some seniors (wanted to go) to the tower to take some pictures and have a good time before graduating,’ he said. ‘She couldn’t breathe. She hit her head. If (my roommate) wasn’t there, I don’t know, she might have been worse off. He waited with her. He didn’t want to move her.’ School officials said that the tower was supposed to be locked and claimed Monfries scaled the building with friends take video and photos from the building’s scenic peak. It is unclear if Monfries’ intention was to post on Instagram or Snapchat, but authorities said they witnessed a Snapchat video of multiple people in the dark tower using their phones as flashlights. Amazon mocked for AmaZen mental health 'cry closets' set up on factory floor Emergency responders found Monfries in critical condition on the second floor with barely any pulse. They tried to remove her from the building on a stretcher, but the stairwell was too narrow, so medics hoisted her up to the top of the tower in a rescue basket, then lowered her back down to the ground. Monfries, who was scheduled to graduate in May, was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital where she was ‘clinging to life’ before she succumbed to her injuries hours later. Monfries was rushed to local Bronx hospital in serious condition after she fell (Picture: Instagram / Sydney Monfries) Numerous students told the New York Times that climbing the building is a pre-graduation tradition that many consider a rite of passage. A student told the university paper, The Fordham Ram: ‘The thrill of danger is definitely a huge allure to going up.’ Harry takes new swipe at royals saying families feel 'shame' over mental health ‘I would say the other two reasons for going up are the amazing view of the entire campus from up there and the ability to brag about doing it.’ Authorities said they are unsure how Monfries and the other students gained access to the building. Monfries reportedly died after she fell through an opening on a landing (Picture: David Joiner/ Flickr) The university said they plan to posthumously award Monfries a bachelor’s degree in journalism, which she was set to receive in May. ‘There are no words sufficient to describe the loss of someone so young and full of promise — and mere weeks from graduation,’ school President Joseph McShane wrote in a letter to students. ‘Fordham will confer a bachelor’s degree upon Sydney posthumously, which we will present to her parents at the appropriate time.’<doc-sep>A Fordham University student who climbed the campus' landmark bell tower Sunday to snap photos of the New York City skyline has died after she accidentally fell, the university said. Sydney Monfries, a 22-year-old senior, was taking part in a 3 a.m. climb when she fell through an opening on the first landing of the tower, plummeted 40 feet and struck her head, the New York Post reported. Her condition had been listed as critical at a hospital in the Bronx not far from the Fordham campus, but on Sunday evening, the university's president announced her death in an email to students. "Our hearts go out to Sydney’s parents, and her family and friends—theirs is an unimaginable loss, and we share their grief," Rev. Joseph M. McShane wrote. "There are no words sufficient to describe the loss of someone so young and full of promise—and mere weeks from graduation. Fordham will confer a bachelor’s degree upon Sydney posthumously, which we will present to her parents at the appropriate time." AUTHORITIES RECOVER BODY OF DEAD TOURIST WHO FELL INTO GRAND CANYON WHILE TAKING PHOTOS Students said climbing the tower, touching the bell and taking photos of the sweeping views were part of a senior-year “rite of passage,” according to the paper. “I heard they were just getting a better view of the city,” a senior told the paper. “I think they were posting on Instagram when it happened.” Fordham parents reacted quickly to the news. Freshman Grayson Brown, 19, told the Post his mother sent him a text Sunday that said “stay out of the bell tower!” INSTAGRAM COUPLE DEFENDS 'STUPID' PHOTO ON EDGE OF INFINITY POOL Recently, a visitor to the Grand Canyon fell to his death while taking a photo from a dangerous perch, according to reports. Two months ago, it was reported that a Texas teen was lucky to be alive after surviving a fall in November from the top of a bridge he had climbed to take a selfie. Last October, a new study by researchers in India found that more than 250 people worldwide have died while taking selfies in the last six years, The Washington Post reported. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Some of those deaths were due to falls from heights. Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
A university student plummeted to her death from a 40ft bell tower while trying to take Instagram photos of the New York skyline. Sydney Paige Monfries, 22, from Portland, Oregon, suffered fatal injuries following the horror plunge at Fordham University campus in New York, weeks before graduation. The New York Police Department said Sydney went to the campus clock tower with her friends at around 3am on Sunday to get a view of the skyline, reported ABC News. When the police arrived at the scene, officers were forced to carry out a high-angle rescue after finding Sydney lying on the ground inside the tower with trauma to her head and body, it is reported. She was rushed to St Barnabas Hospital in "extremely critical condition" where she later died. (Image: FACEBOOK) A student, named only as Dave, who met Sydney and her friends hours before the tragedy, said: "My roommate was with them. "He told me some seniors [wanted to go] to the tower to take some pictures and have a good time before graduating." Another student, Anne, told the New York Post: "I think they were posting on Instagram when it happened." University staff are investigating how the group gained access to the tower. It was reported that Sydney may have been participating in a 'rite of passage' ceremony or event, according to the Daily Mail. During the event, seniors climb the tower, touch the bell and take photo outside one of the top windows. (Image: FACEBOOK) But some said they have never heard of being allowed inside the tower. Student Sean Johnson told ABC News: "Being in that building, there's no sort of methodology or way to have access to that, in my personal opinion. "Don't really know how they got up there." The school has confirmed the incident as the principal wrote in a letter to students: "It is with great sadness that I report that Sydney Monfries, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill, died today after sustaining a fall inside the Keating Clock tower in the early hours in the morning. "Our hearts go out to Sydney's parents, and her family and friends - theirs is an unimaginable loss, and we share their grief." (Image: GOOGLE) Sydney, as she wrote on her social media sites, was studying journalism and interned at InStyle magazine. She was due to graduate in May. Sydney's family along with two priests rush to be the hospital soon as they received the devastating news. Her uncle Gregory Monfries, said: "This is not a good time." The university said they will confer a bachelor's degree upon Sydney posthumously, which will present to her parents at the appropriate time.