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University of Pennsylvania track star jumped to death over grades: Family friend
Madison Holleran, 19, was stressed about her 3.5 GPA in the weeks before she jumped from a parking garage in Philadelphia on Friday, the friend said. The freshman’s tragic death stunned friends and family in her hometown of Allendale, N.J.
By Joe Kemp AND Nina Golgowski / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Monday, January 20, 2014, 10:39 AM
Madison Holleran, 19, a star member of University of Pennsylvania’s track team, died after she apparently jumped off a parking garage in Philadelphia on Friday.
A beautiful and brainy University of Pennsylvania track star jumped to her death from a parking garage Friday after stressing out over grades, a family friend revealed Monday.
Madison Holleran — a freshman at the Ivy League school who hails from Bergen County, N.J.— made dinner plans and sent messages to friends without a hint she was feeling suicidal, said family friend Bob Weckworth.
“People talked to her within hours of her act of suicide and there were no red flags, warning signs, nothing,” he told the Daily News from the family’s Allendale home.
The 19-year-old was majoring in philosophy, politics and economics at University of Pennsylvania.
“This kid didn’t have a boyfriend. There were no drug issues. There were no mental health issues in her background. It was just the last two, three weeks where they saw a change in her,” said Weckworth, a friend of Madison’s father, James Holleran. “Something snapped.”
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Cops said Madison, 19, jumped from a Philadelphia parking garage at 7 p.m. Friday. It was not clear Monday if she left a suicide note.
Mickey DeLorenzo for New York Daily News
A makeshift memorial at the scene where Holleran died after jumping from a parking garage in Philadelphia on Friday.
The death of the teen — who won numerous athletic awards as a student at Northern Highlands Regional High School in New Jersey — left her friends and family stunned.
She left a flood of photos on her social media accounts showing her smiling with friends. One posted on Instagram just an hour before her death shows a beautiful image of Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square at sunset.
“She got a 3.5 her first semester, and I think just the high expectations that she put on herself was that that’s just not acceptable,” Weckworth said.
Mickey DeLorenzo for New York Daily News
The Philadelphia parking garage where Holleran jumped to her death Friday.
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When she came home over Christmas break, she was a changed person, he said.
“She was not happy at Penn, but the parents had told her then, ‘Don’t go back. We’ll transfer. We’ll look at other schools. There’s no reason to go back, it’s OK,’ ” he said.
It was not immediately clear what may have prompted the teen — a star athlete in her hometown of Allendale, N.J. — to jump to her death.
University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann said Madison’s death left the campus “deeply saddened.”
“She was bright and well-liked with an incredible future ahead of her,” Gutmann said in a statement.
Holleran posted this picture of Rittenhouse Square to her Instagram account about an hour before she jumped to her death on Friday.
Steve Dolan, Penn’s director of track and field-cross country, said Madison’s teammates were crushed by the news.
“We will always carry her in our hearts,” Dolan said.
The school announced that formal recruitment for sororities would be postponed out of respect for Holleran, who was participating in the events.
Holleran — who was named by the Star-Ledger to the all-state girls soccer and track teams last year — was majoring in philosophy, politics and economics, NJ.com reported.
“As our school community mourns the loss of Madison, we extend our love and prayers to the Holleran family as they grieve, and we respect their privacy during this extremely difficult time,” Joseph Occhino, principal of Northern Highlands High School, said in a statement.
