December 23, 2024 08:44 AM

Ashley A. Riggitano: Fashionista Commits Suicide By Jumping off George Washington Bridge

Troubled fashionista Ashley A. Riggitano committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge on Wednesday. She left behind a list of girl that she doesn't want at her funeral.

Riggitano, 22, left behind her handbag before she jumped off the upper-level of the bridge into the freezing waters of the Hudson River down below. Several people, including tourists on a jitney bus watched the beautiful young woman end her life, the New York Post reports.

Harbor patrol pulled her body from the river shortly after she jumped.

Riggitano left notes in her handbag which explained her frustration and she mentioned five people specifically.

Her body was pulled out by the harbor patrol shortly after she jumped.

"All my other 'friends' are in it for gossip," she wrote in the note, according to the New York Post. "Never there."

She also mentioned a specific man who she claimed didn't treat her well. She said he could come to the funeral, but she left him with a threat saying she hopes he "gets what he deserves."

According to the Daily Mail, Riggitano's best friend, Victoria Van Thunen, wrote a scathing note on her Facebook account hours before Riggitano ended her life.

Van Thunen, who co-owned the jewelry line Missfits with Riggitano, wrote, "'Those who incessantly blame others as the cause of their issues should perhaps take a step back and reevaluate these situations. The common thread may be that "they" aren't the problem, but rather that YOU are."

It is not clear if this note was directed towards Riggitano and it is not clear if Van Thunen was one of the girls she said she didn't want at her funeral.

Many of the women seem to be college friends and co-workers. Riggitano said that her fashion friends often bullied her. It is not clear if those who were mentioned know about it.

Riggitano had a history of problems. This wasn't the first time she tried to kill herself. Along with the notes, medications such as Adderall and Klonopin were found in her designer bag.

Riggitano was a graduate of the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising in Manhattan. She was working as an intern for jewelry and fashion designer Alex Woo.

She also owned her own company, Missfits. Along with Van Thunen, Riggitano designed and sold her own bracelets.

"We are two Jersey girls who grew up one poof of Tinkerbell's fairy dust from culturally rich NYC," the Missfits Web site reads. "And although we hail from the Garden State, it is Manhattan that we will always call home."

Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics