Father charged with throwing baby down stairs, assaulting girlfriend before she plunged to her death from roof of New York hotel

A young mother and aspiring model from Colorado fell to her death Tuesday night from atop the OYO Times Square hotel on West 47th Street in New York following a violent spat with her boyfriend. Dezirae Andersen, 20, was allegedly punched multiple time by 24-year-old Tyler Griffen before making her way up to the roof.

During the altercation, Griffin allegedly knocked their baby girl out of Andersen's arms, throwing the infant down a flight of stairs. He was arrested on a slew of charges related to the incident but was not suspected of directly causing Andersen's death.  



According to the Daily News, the couple had come to New York from Littleton, Colorado to introduce their 8-month-old daughter to Griffen's family. Andersen had, just hours prior to her death, posted to Instagram appearing to be having a good time in the city.

On Tuesday night, they were in their hotel room smoking marijuana and eating edibles when a fight broke out. Things quickly spilled into the hallway, where Griffen allegedly yanked their baby out of Andersen's arms with so much force that the infant went flying down the stairs. Thankfully, another guest caught the child and she was not injured. 

Andersen then made her way up to the roof of the hotel, though it's not clear whether Griffen followed her. She then fell to her death, and was discovered on scaffolding on the second floor.


A Facebook post from Dezirae Andersen's account.

As the New York Post reports, Griffen, who had no prior criminal record, told police he "remember[ed] punching" Andersen multuple times during the altercation. He was charged with assault, reckless endangerment, and acting in a manner injurious to a child.
 

"The defendant punched this child's mother several times about the body," Assistant District Attorney Madeline Holbrook said. "Additionally, the defendant allegedly tossed the infant child down a flight of steps into the hands of a stranger. For those reasons, the people believe that a full order of protection is necessary for the child’s safety."

Andersen's mother set up a GoFundMe to have the infant brought back to Colorado, as well as to raise money for her daughter's funeral.

"I need to bring her body home to have a proper burial for her," she said. "She leaves behind an 8 month old baby girl who also needs to be brought home to Colorado from New York and I need to get to her asap. I am just at a loss and anything that anyone can contribute will be greatly appreciated."

An outpouring of support could be seen on Andersen's Facebook page as friends and family could hardly fathom that a trip to New York resulted in the loss of their loved one.