Elderly woman leaps to death from Center City apartment

A 70-year-old woman jumped to her death this morning from a high-rise apartment building at 19th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.

The woman, whose name wasn't released, was declared dead on the scene outside the Kennedy House Apartments at 6:17 a.m., police spokeswoman Officer Christine O'Brien said.

Suicides nationally are on the rise, with more than 36,000 reported in 2008, the most recent year for which statistics are available, according to the American Association of Suicidology (AAS). Suicide rates are higher among elderly people than the general population, according to AAS. Suicide rates for Philadelphia were not immediately available this morning.

Note: An earlier version of this post incorrectly noted that the victim was male.

Update: Statistics from the Philadelphia Police Department show that 143 people have committed suicide in the city through November, compared with 154 for all of 2010.