Man Who Fell to His Death Identified As Bed Bath & Beyond CFO

• A man who died after falling from a building in Manhattan was identified by police as Gustavo Arnal.
• The Bed Bath & Beyond CFO fell from the 18th floor on Friday, the NYPD confirmed to Insider. 
• The retailer recently announced plans to close 150 stores and cut a fifth of its workforce.

A man who died after falling from the 18th floor of an apartment building has been identified as the chief financial officer of Bed Bath & Beyond, the New York Post reported.

Gustavo Arnal, 52, fell from the 18th floor of the tower on Leonard Street in Manhattan’s tony Tribeca neighborhood around noon Friday, the New York Police Department confirmed to Insider.

The New York Post reported, citing law-enforcement sources, that Arnal’s wife was home at the time and that he “jumped” from the apartment without saying anything or leaving a note explaining.

Arnal joined Bed Bath & Beyond in 2020 after serving as Avon’s finance chief for more than a year. Arnal had held a senior position at Walgreens Boots Alliance and Procter & Gamble before joining the cosmetics company.

Last month, Arnal sold about 42,000 shares in the retailer for about $1 million, according to MarketBeat.com. He also had been named in an insider trading and securities fraud lawsuit less than two weeks before his death, court documents show.

The death comes days after Bed Bath & Beyond announced plans to close about 150 stores and cut its workforce by a fifth in a bid to revive its fortunes.

The company told investors on a call on Wednesday that it would shift away from own-brands and start offering more labels and that it had secured loans from JPMorgan and Sixth Street Partners.

The retailer’s shares have become a “meme stock” like GameStop and fluctuated considerably in recent months. The chief executive, Mark Tritton, was ousted in June and replaced by board member Sue Gove.

Bed Bath & Beyond and Arnal’s family members did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. 

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 1-800-273-8255.