Teen fall victim used ladder to get to top of bell tower

A 16-year-old high school junior, who fell to his death from a 174-foot bell tower at a cemetery in Ambler, used an aluminum ladder to enter the structure, authorities said Monday.

Once inside, the youth climbed stairs to the upper level, said Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.

Questions remain about the circumstances surrounding the fall on Sunday at Whitemarsh Memorial Park in Horsham Township; however, investigators do not suspect foul play, said Ferman.

An autopsy indicated he died from severe trauma, according to a news release from First Assistant District Attorney Kevin R. Steele.

The youth has not been identified by authorities, but friends said he was a junior at Hatboro-Horsham.

The Horsham police received a 911 call "of suspicious activity" at the cemetery, in the 1100 block of Limekiln Pike, at 2:36 p.m. Sunday.

Ferman said that the door to the bell tower was locked and that a ladder was used to reach the flat top of the tower's shoulder at the tower's base. From there, the teen gained entry through an opening in the tower's side. She said the ladder had been brought into the park.

For several hours Sunday, detectives interviewed more than half a dozen of the victim's stunned, tearful friends at the police station. Officials said more interviews were conducted Monday.

A Facebook page created in the victim's memory has attracted more than 1,000 supporters.

A news release from Hatboro-Horsham Superintendent Curtis Griffin said the district would not release any information on the victim that "could potentially compromise" the investigation.

"Following the loss of one of our high school students yesterday afternoon, the attentions of our faculty and administration have been on addressing the grief of our students today . . . a responsibility we take very seriously," the release said, adding that counseling resources had been made available to students and parents.

Steele's news release said the county coroner's office would determine the manner of death after further investigation and toxicology testing.