Douglas Elliman broker Tom Cooper dead at 56

today

Explore More

The 56-year-old man believed to have jumped to his death from the fourth floor of an Upper East Side rental building on Tuesday morning has been identified as Douglas Elliman real estate broker Tom Cooper, who was a tenant there.

The longtime Manhattan resident, California native and UC Berkeley alumnus — as detailed in his brokerage bio — resided in unit 4A at 18 E. 67th St., according to building records. That apartment is a one-bedroom that he rented in January 2021, StreetEasy records show. He left a suicide note, according to police on the scene.

Representatives for Douglas Elliman declined to comment.

In his professional life, Cooper represented both sellers and buyers in their own real-estate transactions. For the latter, the listings portal shows, he recently helped close an $18.5 million deal for a six-story, nearly 9,000-square-foot townhouse at 24 W. 10th St., whose big-dollar sale details hit city records on Nov. 15.

“Closed today for $18.5M!” Cooper wrote on his Instagram profile in a Nov. 10 upload showing several images of the property, which was represented by Ryan Serhant, of Serhant. “Absolutely thrilled for my wonderful buyers who can now call this stately Greenwich Village brownstone their home. Truly a stunning house, and part of New York City history!”

Cooper was 56 and his current listings included homes at the Police Building downtown, where he posed for this photo taken in the days before Christmas. Instagram/Tom Cooper
Cooper repped the listing for Megan Ellison’s domed Police Building home. VHT
Another view inside Ellison’s home, which asks $3.7 million. VHT

Serhant salesperson Nicole Palermo, who worked with Cooper on that recent deal, told The Post, “We are shocked and deeply saddened by Tom’s passing. He was extremely professional, genuine, and very kind. He will be missed.”

Sources close to Cooper pointed to that recent transaction as a business win, but also to his overall charm.

“Everyone is devastated,” a source told The Post. “He was a lovely, lovely man. We are all shocked by the news. His sister is on her way to New York right now.”

Meanwhile, Cooper represented three current sale listings at 240 Centre St., otherwise known as the Police Building — the Belle-Epoque downtown landmark that served as Manhattan’s police headquarters until 1973. The Police Building is also where Cooper posed for his last Instagram upload on Dec. 22, standing next to a glowing Christmas tree in the building’s lobby.

There, he represented the listing of filmmaker Megan Ellison — the daughter of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison — who’s asking $3.7 million for a striking-looking one-bedroom set under a dome on the top floor. StreetEasy shows the listing remains active.

Cooper is believed to have jumped from the fourth floor of his apartment building on the Upper East Side. Robert Mecea
Cooper was a native of California and graduated from UC Berkeley, according to his broker bio. Instagram/Tom Cooper

Cooper also represented that unit, 6N, in a combination deal with the adjacent 6M asking $7.2 million for 3,320 total square feet of living space. (Cooper also repped the 1,550-square-foot unit 6M separately, which asks $3.5 million for sale. Both this unit and its combination potential also remain active on StreetEasy.)

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3R7kGtma25fp7KiuIyeqq2ZpJp8pbvUoKOaq12aua21zJqlZpqipLimvoytpqZlk6S8sbHRZpuemZRirrV5lG9m