The Connecticut financer who jumped to his death from the roof of a Times Square bar on Wednesday has been identified as a dad of three who filed for divorce from his wife just a day before he died. Dale L. Cheney 46, plummeted from Bar 54 at the Hyatt Centric Times Square New York on West 45th Street near Seventh Avenue on Wednesday evening.
According to police, there were at least two witnesses when Cheney jumped from the roof of the bar around 6:30 pm. He also had explosive rows about money several years ago, according to court documents. Cheney is the second person to take their own life from the same bar in three months.
Suicide After Filing for Divorce
Cheney fell to the ground below, while two people saw him jumping. He was later pronounced dead, according to the police. A spokeswoman for the NYPD stated that the death is being investigated as a possible suicide.
Cheney, a father of three grown adults, shared a $3.8 million home in New Canaan, Connecticut, with his wife Lauren, 44.
However, it was revealed on Thursday that he had filed for divorce the day before he killed himself and had such severe financial issues that police were summoned to the residence during arguments.
According to law enforcement sources who spoke to The New York Post, police were called to his former Upper East Side home twice in 2008 due to domestic confrontations with his wife. One of the disagreements involved money.
Cheney moved out of Manhattan, to Connecticut, in 2010, property records show.
The couple bought their house for $1.6 million in 2018. According to the outlet, Lauren Cheney wasn't at the property on Thursday.
According to his LinkedIn page, Cheney was a reputable money manager who served as a board member and investor at six different companies in four states.
Unfortunate Death
Cheney, a Harvard graduate, held a master's degree in business administration. He worked for Goldman Sachs from 2005 to 2007, after which he moved on to Citicorp Venture Capital to become an investment principal.
Cheney founded T-street Capital in 2013 in Darien, Connecticut, a town that is located roughly 40 miles northeast of Manhattan.
The company describes itself as "an independent growth equity firm that works in partnership with founders and management teams to grow their businesses through a combination of capital investment, acquisitions, and other opportunistic and strategic initiatives."
T-street said in June 2019 that it had executed a deal that raised $75 million for a new fund to "continue its focus on growth equity investments."
Cheney's family has not yet responded to inquiries about his death.
The bar from where Cheney jumped to his death issued a statement saying that its "truly heartbroken," but it has not yet indicated whether it will modify its outdoor deck to stop future suicides.
"We are truly heartbroken at the situation that occurred this evening outside our rooftop bar, and we are keeping the victim's family and friends in our thoughts and hearts," said Tom Bundell, general manager.
Cheney death comes just months after 26-year-old aspiring model Elizabeth Gaglewski committed suicide at the same bar.
The bar said that she had "struggled to cope" with her father's death and had suffered depression. Gaglewski fell and died after landing on a balcony on the 27th floor.
