Man dies after being found unconscious in OUT Hotel developer's Manhattan bathtub
Fri. October 31, 2014 10:06 AM by Andy Ambrosius
sean verdi, 23, at graduation in may, 2014
photo credit // nydailynews.com
According to police, the 23-year-old man died of an apparent drug overdose in hotelier Ian Reisner’s Manhattan penthouse Wednesday.
New York City -
A 23-year-old man died of an apparent drug overdose Wednesday after being found unconscious in the bathtub in hotelier Ian Reisner's Manhattan penthouse, police sources told the New York Daily News.
Reisner, 46, is the main driver behind the proposed OUT Hotel Chicago, a gay-focused hotel development still under discussion at 3343 N. Halsted St. in Boystown.
Police told the Daily News that Sean Verdi, of Brooklyn, was rushed to the hospital after Reisner called 911 at 8:20 a.m. Wednesday. He was pronounced dead at 9:03 a.m. Investigators do not believe any criminal activity was involved, while one friend reportedly told police Verdi had taken cocaine and molly. No drugs were found at the penthouse.
"I cried all day," Verdi's stepfather, Steven Colandrea, told the New York Post. "All I know is that he was at a party and OD'd. That's not like Sean. He never had any problems."
Police told Colandrea that Reisner met his son and two friends at Bar-Tini Ultra Lounge in Hell's Kitchen before leaving for Reisner's apartment, according to the New York Daily News.
Reisner is known for creating the boutique gay hotel OUT NYC in Hell's Kitchen, and for proposing to build a second Chicago location in 2013.
When Reisner last spoke to ChicagoPride.com, he confirmed he was not considering a move north on Halsted to the former Brown Elephant vacancy, and the project was still moving forward despite rejection from several neighborhood groups.
Reisner's enterprise Parkview Developers has already invested a considerable sum of money into the proposed location above Minibar and Wood, Reisner said at previous neighborhood meetings. The entire project is projected to cost $30 million.
The NYC medical examiner will give an official cause of Verdi's death after an autopsy.
Reisner, 46, is the main driver behind the proposed OUT Hotel Chicago, a gay-focused hotel development still under discussion at 3343 N. Halsted St. in Boystown.
Police told the Daily News that Sean Verdi, of Brooklyn, was rushed to the hospital after Reisner called 911 at 8:20 a.m. Wednesday. He was pronounced dead at 9:03 a.m. Investigators do not believe any criminal activity was involved, while one friend reportedly told police Verdi had taken cocaine and molly. No drugs were found at the penthouse.
"I cried all day," Verdi's stepfather, Steven Colandrea, told the New York Post. "All I know is that he was at a party and OD'd. That's not like Sean. He never had any problems."
Police told Colandrea that Reisner met his son and two friends at Bar-Tini Ultra Lounge in Hell's Kitchen before leaving for Reisner's apartment, according to the New York Daily News.
Reisner is known for creating the boutique gay hotel OUT NYC in Hell's Kitchen, and for proposing to build a second Chicago location in 2013.
When Reisner last spoke to ChicagoPride.com, he confirmed he was not considering a move north on Halsted to the former Brown Elephant vacancy, and the project was still moving forward despite rejection from several neighborhood groups.
Reisner's enterprise Parkview Developers has already invested a considerable sum of money into the proposed location above Minibar and Wood, Reisner said at previous neighborhood meetings. The entire project is projected to cost $30 million.
The NYC medical examiner will give an official cause of Verdi's death after an autopsy.