TW: This story contains graphic content
The Special Investigations Unit has cleared Toronto police officers of any criminal wrongdoing in the death of a 27-year-old man who fell from a high-rise balcony on New Year’s Eve.
In a report released Friday, the agency concluded there are no reasonable grounds to believe any officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s death.
According to the report, the incident began around 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2025, when a woman called 911 reporting she had been assaulted inside her apartment near Jane Street and Wilson Avenue.
The woman fled to a neighbour’s unit and told police the man had been drinking and using drugs.
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Officers arrived at the neighbour’s apartment around 11:40 p.m. and saw the woman had visible injuries, including a black eye, marks on her neck and cuts to her hands.
Police then headed over to the man’s apartment, knocked on the door and called for a response multiple times. No one replied.
They remained outside while working to gain entry with the help of Toronto Community Housing.
Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows the man fell from the building at about 11:42 p.m., striking the ground below. There was no one else outside at the time.
Officers were unaware of the fall and continued efforts to enter the apartment. Shortly after midnight, they were provided a key and went inside, where they found blood but no sign of the man.
Moments later, an officer stepped onto the balcony, looked down and saw his body on the ground.
Police rushed outside, where the man was found unresponsive in the snow. Paramedics arrived and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A postmortem examination determined he died from blunt force injuries consistent with a fall from height.
The SIU says officers were at the apartment door for only a short time before the fall occurred and were acting within their duties as they responded to the call.
The SIU had assigned three investigators and two forensic investigators to the case. The agency ultimately found no grounds to lay criminal charges and concluded the investigation.
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