Daughter of American Diplomat Fell From 25 Stores in New York

The 17-year-old daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Thailand slipped off her shoes and climbed out onto a window ledge Friday at a Manhattan apartment before plummeting more than 20 stories to her death, police said.

Nicole John fell at about 4:15 a.m. from the top floor of the 25-story Herald Towers, police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. Her body landed on a third-floor ledge, a camera nearby. It's not clear whether she had been trying to take a photo when she died, and her death is believed to be accidental, according to The Associated Press.

The teen's father, Eric John, was appointed U.S. ambassador to Thailand in 2007. Sources said he was rushing to New York last night.

The girl's tragic death sent shockwaves from New York to Bangkok, where she had just graduated from high school, New York Daily News reports.