Italiian man jumps to his death at busy Pattaya mall

An Italian man jumps to his death in front Central Festival Pattaya Beach. Photo: TaaSaparot/ Twitter
An Italian man jumps to his death in front Central Festival Pattaya Beach. Photo: TaaSaparot/ Twitter

A foreign man plunged to his death in front of popular a Pattaya City shopping mall yesterday, the second suicide there in as many months.

Italian expat Gianluigi Broccardo, 57, fell from the sixth floor courtyard of Central Festival Pattaya Beach at about 2pm on Thursday, to the horror of residents and tourists.

After questioning multiple witnesses, police concluded that the jump was intentional, chief Pattaya City police investigator Kamol Appkarat told Coconuts Bangkok this morning.

The man was only wearing shorts with no shirt when his body was discovered. He was carrying a passport with him, which allowed police to identify him.

The victim’s family, the Italian embassy and immigration have all been notified, Kamol said. The victim’s body has been transferred to the nearby Bang Lamung Hospital.

There have been at least three other suicides in recent memory at the same mall.

Just last month, a middle-aged white man climbed a barrier inside the mall before falling six floors to the ground level.

Foreigner plunges 6 floors to his death in middle of popular Pattaya Mall

Three years ago, a 71-year-old French man leaped to his death from the sixth floor. Only months before that, another foreigner was talked down from doing the same.

When asked if the mall would be ordered to increase security to deter jumpers, Kamol said no.

“In my experience, and I sadly see a lot of [suicide attempts] in my job, there’s not much you can do to stop someone who has their mind set on killing themself, whether it is at a mall, an apartment or a bridge,” he said.

“There’s nothing to do to stop people from jumping, but that’s just my opinion based on what I’ve encountered,” he added.

If you are considering harming yourself, please reach out for help. Assistance is available around the clock from the Mental Health Department’s 1323 hotline (for Thai speakers) or the Samaritans of Thailand at 02-713-6793 (for Thai speakers), and 02-713-6791 (for English speakers).



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on