DC Hotel Guest Falls Into Boiler Shaft on Roof, Dies

Police and fire officials say a guest at a Washington hotel died after falling into a boiler shaft on the roof and plunging 10 floors to the basement, the AP reports. DC police spokesman Rachel Schaerr tells the Washington Post 23-year-old John Leonard of Herndon, Virginia, fell around 2:30am Sunday at the 9-story Dupont Circle Hotel. Authorities say he had gone to the roof with someone else, possibly his girlfriend. Schaerr says Leonard went to the roof to get a good view of the city. A spokesman for the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department said crews that specialize in confined-space rescues recovered Leonard's body. A manager at the Dupont Circle Hotel called the incident "a tragic accident" in a prepared statement. He did not offer more details. (More accidental death stories.)