Main | Thursday, October 30, 2014

NEW YORK CITY: Man Dies After OD'ing In Penthouse Of Gay Hotel Developer

A 25 year-old man died yesterday after an apparent drug overdose in the multimillion dollar penthouse of developer Ian Reisner (left), who in 2012 opened the posh Out NYC hotel and nightclub complex near Times Square.
Sean Verdi, of Bay Ridge, was rushed from 230 Central Park South to Saint Luke’s Hospital after Reisner called 911 about 8:20 a.m., police sources said. He died at 9:03 a.m. The death appeared to be a drug overdose, according to a police source, but the Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy on Thursday to determine the cause of death. Investigators do not believe that any criminality was involved, police said.   Verdi was found unconscious in a bathtub in hotel tycoon Ian Reisner’s penthouse apartment on Central Park South, police sources said. Verdi was graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., in May. He majored in bioengineering. He met Reisner previously in clubland, his parents told the Daily News on Wednesday night. Verdi, Reisner and a friend were at a bar in Hell's Kitchen before returning to Reisner's pad, Verdi's parents said, citing information given to them by NYPD investigators.
Reisner was arrested in May for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident in the Hamptons.
The officer found Mr. Reisner to be unsteady and slurring his speech. Roadside sobriety tests were administered, which police said he failed. He was taken to headquarters, where a breath test produced a reading of .06, too low for a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated but high enough for the drug-related misdemeanor charge. Mr. Reisner refused to have his blood drawn, the chief said. A blood test is the only admissible way for a court to determine the level and type of drugs in the body. Because he was arrested after East Hampton Justice Court had completed its Sunday arraignments, Mr. Reisner spent the next 20 hours in a holding cell at Cedar Street headquarters.
The nightclub at Out NYC opened as XL and is currently known as BPM. It's the largest gay nightclub in the city.

RELATED: In July, the New York Observer profiled Reisner's Central Park South penthouse, which he values at $25M.

UPDATE: Gay Socialites reports that Verdi was the manager of the popular Hell's Kitchen lounge Bartini.

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