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19-Year-Old Zac Brettler Dies After Fall from London Apartment Balcony in 2019
Zac Brettler, a 19-year-old from London, fell to his death from a fifth-floor balcony of a luxury apartment building on November 29, 2019. Prior to his death, he had adopted a false identity as the son of a Russian oligarch. The incident occurred at a property overlooking the River Thames, opposite MI6 headquarters.
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Before his death, he had changed his behavior and appearance significantly. His parents described him as previously intelligent, entertaining, and sociable.
In the period leading up to his disappearance, he had become focused on a luxury lifestyle, influenced by figures such as Vladimir Putin and Jordan Belfort. He boasted of inheriting a multi-billion-pound family fortune shared with five siblings.
He used a .ru email address, and wore clothing associated with wealth, such as a Moncler vest.
Arrangements Brettler's new associates included older individuals involved in business activities.
He had moved into the Riverwalk apartment with a resident known as a gangster. This arrangement followed encouragement from a cryptocurrency investor with a family background in various deals.
Brettler had convinced some adults of his fabricated identity as the son of a billionaire. His parents discovered these details while searching for him in the days before his death. At the time of his disappearance, Brettler was planning to take his driver's license exam and expressed ambitions to become an entrepreneur.
He did not appear depressed. The Metropolitan Police investigated the incident following reports from his family.
An inquest into Brettler's death was held, during which his mother, Rachelle Brettler, stated: ">He wanted money and power. Fast."
The book 'London Falling' by Patrick Radden Keefe, published based on a 2024 New Yorker article, examines the circumstances of Brettler's death and the subsequent police investigation. The book provides details on Brettler's background as the grandson of a rabbi and his family's upper-middle-class life.
