Florind Belliu and Ornela Shehi: NYC aspiring actor, wife LEAP off 6th floor as child yells 'MOM!'
THE BRONX, NEW YORK CITY: An aspiring actor from Albania and his wife plunged to their deaths from their sixth-floor apartment in the Bronx on Saturday morning, August 6. The couple, identified by friends and neighbors as Florind Belliu, 35, and Ornela Shehi, 28, was found in the courtyard of 2199 Cruger Avenue at Pelham Parkway South in Morris Park about 9.15 am on Saturday, according to New York Daily News. The duo were pronounced dead about 10 minutes later.
A police source informed the New York Post, "There were signs in the apartment that indicated it wasn’t all Kumbaya, like they didn’t just decide to leave their kids behind and jump." The source wouldn’t provide any more details on the alleged “signs.” Neighbors said they heard shouting just before the couple fell and now investigators are looking into the deadly incident as the tragic result of a possible fight between the pair.
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Their sons, aged six and two, were inside the apartment at the time with one neighbor recalling hearing a child cry out, "Mom! Mom!" after the tragic fall. Video reportedly shows Shehi plunging from the building's sixth floor first and landing in the alleyway, with her husband Belliu following seconds later. Police officials also could not find any suicide note. Authorities are waiting for autopsy results to determine whether Shehi suffered any injuries not indicative of a fall. As of Tuesday evening, the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office had not made a determination on either Shehi or Belliu’s death.
The couple moved into the building with their two young kids about four months ago, and authorities never received reports of domestic violence related to the couple. Family members and friends mourned outside the Bronx apartment building on Saturday. The New York Daily News reported that Belliu's devastated mother collapsed and could be seen sobbing in response to the news of her son's death. According to the neighbors, the pair were a “quiet couple” who “kept to themselves,” and were often seen taking walks but also that Belliu had been seen visibly angry on Friday.
“I’ve seen them always buying things for the house, like every day together, with two kids together, we didn’t recognize there was something wrong,” said Shadie Perkaj, the wife of the building’s super. She said Saturday was Belliu’s birthday. Belliu’s friend Elona Caslli mourned her lost friend on Facebook. “What great pain made you kill yourself?!’’ Caslli wrote in Albanian. “A multiple tragedy for which there is no word of consolation. God give strength to your children and parents.’’
"Why bro, why bro...did you choose this path? What was missing when you all had us in your arms and supported you? What made you to take a road without a beginning and an end?" Albanian actor Andi Llabuti posted. "What do we say to your mother when she sees us on the street that we cannot protect you? Why didn't you think a little about your family, your mother and your sisters? We all knew your abilities and the values you had, but never this wisdom! You made us so sad that there is no explanation! May Allah have mercy on you!" Albanian comedian Cela Irgen posted a tribute on Instagram stating that Belliu broke his heart. "I can't believe I'm making this status for you" he wrote in a Sunday post. "You are embedded in my mind and my heart for all those beautiful memories we have together and the passion we shared for acting. May you both rest in peace my dear friend and may God give strength to both families in these difficult times."
According to EuroNews Albania, Belliu was a graduate of the University of Arts in Tirana, Albania, and performed on TV and in the theater before moving to the US. He was reportedly working on two books and a movie script. He may have also been working as a livery driver in recent months to provide for his family.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).