The last person to see Julian “Myles” Mislavsky before his tragic death last Tuesday afternoon called his name across the ground floor of the parking deck, but he ignored her. Rather than chase him down, she carried on, thinking that she would talk to him later.
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Seton Hall senior Dominique Imes said Mislavsky was her close friend and said she saw him climbing the stairs of the campus parking deck minutes before his death. Imes and the rest of the Seton Hall community experienced a painful loss when the 23-year-old Mislavsky died after a fall from the roof deck of the five-story facility that day.
Imes, a member of the campus sorority Zeta Tau Alpha, had known Mislavsky for more than two years. She said they met through his fraternity and became close after realizing how close their hometowns are (Imes is from Whippany and Mislavsky was from Morristown, N.J).
That Tuesday afternoon, Imes said she was leaving the gym and was headed to her car in the parking deck to switch from her gym bag to her backpack, when she saw Mislavsky walking on the other side of the parking deck.
“He was walking up those steps and I was walking up the main steps and I saw him and thought, ‘Oh, hey look, there’s Myles,’ and I debated on whether I should go over to him and say hi. And I kinda just screamed, ‘Hi,”’ Imes said.
Imes said she noticed Mislavsky seemed “more down than usual,’’ noting that he seemed unusually quiet.“I want to say he saw me and maybe he didn’t want to talk,” Imes said. “He was kind of walking with a hat on, and his head was down and that’s also why I was like, ‘I’m not just going to run over there.’”
Imes said Mislavsky did not acknowledge her greeting, so she continued walking to her car on the second floor.
“I thought no big deal I’ll just see him later,” Imes said. By the time she got her bag from her car and went down the parking deck stairs, she said she saw an assembly of emergency personnel surrounding Mislavsky, who was lying on the ground. Imes said she wishes there was more everyone could have done to help.
South Orange Police Chief Kyle Kroll and Detective Lieutenant Brian McGuire have not returned our calls to comment on the investigation. The South Orange Patch reported that Kroll released a statement saying police have ruled out any foul play.
Imes said she became close friends with Mislavsky over the past two years, and that Mislavsky shared with her that he had been treated for depression in the past, a side of him she said she rarely saw.
“Myles always wanted to have fun, smile, and laugh,” Imes said. “I wish he had reached out to someone, a brother or friends.”
Imes also described Mislavsky as a “genuine and goofy person.”
“I would go out to eat with him at The Godfather and he was always super happy and smiling,” Imes said. “He was just a goofy, fun, and energetic person. He would always share stories which were funny and crazy like only these funny crazy stories would happen to him.”
In Mislavsky’s obituary, the Mislavsky family requested that rather than sending flower arrangements, friends and family should donate in Myles’ memory to DBSA New Jersey (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance).
The service for Mislavsky was held on Saturday, Sept. 15, at St. Virgil’s Church in Morris Plains. After the service, Mislavsky was laid to rest at Holy Rood Cemetery in Morris Township.
“He meant a lot and today at the Mass was super hard for me and everyone else there,” Imes said after the service. “But today I took away something from the Mass. Someone who spoke said to do something you like and to smile when doing it to show you are happy. Today I went ice skating at Mennen Arena, where Myles used to work, and I was ice skating and started to think about him and I smiled.”
A memorial site has been set up for Mislavsky outside of the parking deck entrance. What started with a single bouquet of red roses left in the middle of the parking deck walkway on Wednesday morning immediately flourished into a grand display.
Bouquets of flowers and post-it notes lined the walls of the entrance. In each note, students expressed their feelings of love for Myles, as well as brief accounts of memories shared with him. Someone even left their phone number in one note, urging anyone who had issues they needed to talk about to call.
Imes said she left a note at the memorial site on Friday. Her note told Myles that he was loved and will always be loved by so many. She ended her note by telling him she will miss him dearly.
“Everyone has so much support for his family and for him,” Imes said. “He’ll always be in our minds and always be in our heart and he will never be forgotten, and all we can do now is just think about all the good memories and keep reliving and thinking about the good memories that we had his with him.”
Mislavsky transferred to Seton Hall University as a psychology major in 2015. He was an active member of the campus fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi. Mislavsky attended Morristown High School, where he was on the wrestling team, and graduated in 2013.
Seton Hall University President Dr. Mary Meehan sent out emails to students addressing the loss and giving details about the memorial service for Mislavsky.
“This has been an extremely painful and sad week for our community,” Meehan wrote last Friday.
“Losing one of our own brings a grief like no other. During these sad days I have experienced what I know, but too often neglect to mention about our community: you have responded to the tragic loss of Myles Mislavsky with courage, compassion, generosity, and kindness as you always do.”
The letter went on to inform students and faculty that a date will be set for a Seton Hall memorial for Mislavsky once the Mislavsky family is available. Meehan also urged students to take advantage of the “many support systems” that the school has, referring to her previous email from Tuesday, which included the contact information for the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Campus Ministry.
Students are encouraged to reach out to each other during this time of loss.
The number for CAPS is (973) 761-9500 (weekdays from 9 am – 5 pm) or (973) 761-9300 (after hours through Public Safety). The Campus Ministry can be reached at (973) 761-9545.
Gabrielle Schwab can be reached at gabrielle.schwab@student.shu.edu. This story first appeared on her blog “The 411 On The 911.” You can also reach her on Twitter @PiratePatrol365.
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