Man plummets 10 floors to his death down boiler shaft at Washington hotel

WASHINGTON – 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.

D.C. police spokesman Rachel Schaerr tells The Washington Post 23-year-old John Leonard of Herndon, Virginia, fell around 2:30 a.m. 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 D.C. 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.