Woman Falls to Death at World Trade Center Oculus

A 29-year-old women fell from an escalator to her death while reaching for a hat early Saturday morning inside the World Trade Center Oculus, NBC New York reports. According to the New York Daily News, Santos and her twin sister were just reaching the upper level of the transit hub when her sister lost her hat. Santos leaned over the escalator's railing to grab the hat but went too far, losing her balance. With hat in hand, she fell more than 30 feet to the concourse below. Santos was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The Oculus is an "iconic centerpiece" of the new World Trade Center, WPIX reports. It opened in March at a cost of $3.9 billion, replacing a terminal destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. The Oculus contains connections to New Jersey and New York City transit systems and a shopping mall. Its unique architecture has made it a popular tourist destination. Santos' is believed to be the first death at the World Trade Center Oculus. (More World Trade Center stories.)