Suicide Jump Foiled by Garbage Pile

(New York City) A 26-year-old Manhattan man suffering from psychiatric problems, Vangelis (Angelo) Kapatos, jumped out of a ninth-story apartment yesterday hoping to splatter his carcass on 45 St.

Fortunately, the NYC Sanitation Department was tardy in garbage collection and Kapatos landed on top of a mountain of refuse and lived.

Kapatos landed on his back, causing some of the black plastic garbage bags to burst, spewing out their rotten contents.

The Sanitation Department suspended trash collection after the Dec. 26 snowstorm paralyzed the city. Pickups were expected to resume today.

Residents of the building said the garbage had been kept in the basement since the storm hit.

Workers at the building put the rotten haul - some 100 bags in all - on the curb Sunday morning, residents said.

According to relatives, Karpatos was recognized as suicidal and had recently received psychiatric treatment. Plus, he was on the verge of being evicted from his apartment.