A man fell off of a second-floor balcony above J. Press on York Street at about 1 a.m. Saturday, witnesses said. University officials confirmed that the man was not a Yale student.

Witnesses said that a man who appeared to be in his 20s somehow climbed onto the ledge outside of the offices located directly above the store and fell off, trying to catch his balance on the awning on his way down. He reportedly landed on his feet on the sidewalk but fell backward, hitting his head on the pavement.

“I could hear his skull crack on the ground as he fell,” New Haven resident Christine Berham said.

Berham said she approached the man as soon as he fell to the ground.

“I stood about a foot away from him and shouted for someone to call emergency,” she said.

Emergency vehicles responded shortly after the call and rushed the man to Yale-New Haven Hospital. After he was taken to the hospital, New Haven and Yale police arrived, cordoned off the area of the sidewalk where the man fell, and began inspecting the balcony from which he tumbled to the pavement.

At about 2 a.m., New Haven police appeared to have finished investigating the area and removed the cautionary tape blockade.

Hospital officials would not disclose the status of the man over the weekend.

–Brian Ginsberg