Tom Stilwell had been trying to climb down from his neighbours flat above his onto the balcony of his own flat at 2am on Sunday when he fell.
“It appears the man was locked out of his 14th floor apartment,” New Zealand police said in a statement.
“He fell while attempting to climb down the outside of the building from a 15th floor apartment directly above his, in an effort to gain access via his balcony.”
Neighbour Geraldine Bautista told the New Zealand Herald that Mr Stilwell knocked at her door and asked if he could use her balcony to reach his own apartment. She let him in and to the balcony to show him that it was not possible to climb down as it was too high and too dangerous, but that her above neighbour quickly qlimbed over the railing.
“I thought I was dreaming…it happened within seconds,” Ms Bautista said.
Mr Stilwell suffered some broken bones and internal injuries but miraculously survived, with a large debt owed to a roof 13 floors down which broke his fall.
Photo: Getty.
