A 28-year-old Bronx man who felt pressured by his high school sweetheart into marrying her, took his own life hours after the wedding.
Fernando Brazier left a suicide note at the front desk of the Radisson Hotel in New Rochelle, New York, where he married 26-year-old Trudian Hay the day before. His wedding ring was inside the envelope, according to Mr. Brazier’s sister Shawna Weeks.
“He said he couldn’t take anymore, and to take care of his kids,” she told the NY Post.
Police recovered Brazier’s body at the bottom of the Harlem River — where his suicide note indicated he would be.
Police say he jumped either from a building or the promenade behind it. No foul play is suspected.
Brazier and Hay met in high school. They had two daughters together. Brazier, whose parents were divorced, wanted a stable home for his daughters.
Family members said Brazier suffered from depression in the months leading up to the wedding.
“He would tell me that Trudy was a good person [but] he didn’t want to marry her; he was feeling like he was pressured,” Ms. Weeks told the NY Post.
Brazier was last seen leaving the Radisson Hotel around 9 a.m. on Sunday. Hotel staff saw him climb into a taxi after leaving the note. Family members said Brazier did not seem distressed during the wedding reception on Saturday.
