Boston University students witnessed the commotion as a male victim was injured Wednesday night after falling four stories through a skylight while at a fraternity party near Kenmore Square.
Boston Police Department officers from District D-4 responded to a radio call around 11:30 p.m. at 487 Commonwealth Ave. — Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity — where witnesses on the scene stated the victim had been jumping on the plexiglass dome skylight before he fell, according to the police report.
Taylor Brooks, a College of Communication sophomore, said he heard the crash from his room in Myles Standish Hall.
“Our window is level with the roof … so we could see the whole party going on,” he said. “… We heard a very large shatter and three distinct girl screams, and everyone was evacuated off of the roof.”
Brooks said he did not know what happened until he saw an EMT checking out the hole in the skylight.
“We thought it was a car accident, and then, about 10 minutes later, all of the trucks showed up,” Brooks said. “We thought that maybe someone had fallen off the roof until we found out that someone had actually fallen through the skylight.”
The victim fell through four stories and landed on his back, according to the report. He sustained injuries to his head and genital areas. Paramedics then transported the victim to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
At about 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, two BPD detectives returned to the scene to conduct an inspection, according to the report. They issued license premise violations to members of the fraternity for keeping and exposing alcohol, having an unlicensed roof deck, and having had a person sustain injuries on the premises.
Upon inspection, detectives observed several loose cans of beer on the roof, as well as a bar stocked with four-and-half 30-packs of beer, according to the report. The residence does not have an alcohol license.
One BPD detective returned to the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity house again at about 1 p.m. on Thursday to meet with an official from the Inspectional Services Department, according the report.
The report stated the inspector found several code violations, including the illegal roof deck and an illegal electrical wiring on the roof. Although the roof deck in question was located on 485 Commonwealth Ave, the inspector said it could also be accessed from 487 Commonwealth Ave., according to the report. Members of the fraternity own both properties.
Henry Johnson, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said he could see the commotion from his dorm room on the top floor of Myles Standish Hall.
“I was sitting on my bed doing homework, and then I heard two crashes and I didn’t really know what they were … so I got up and looked over and people we on top of the house looking very scared and shocked,” Johnson said. “We were looking at it and couldn’t figure out what was going on, and we heard people say to call 911.”
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