A former television news intern who was close to graduation from college was killed when she fell from the clock tower at Fordham University in the Bronx, NBC New York reports.

Sydney Monfries, 22, died Sunday at a hospital from injuries suffered when she apparently fell through a hole in a landing while she and other students were climbing a set of stairs inside the Gothic tower. The students had managed to gain access to the off-limits clock and bell tower at about 3 a.m. Sunday.

Emergency responders reportedly found Monfries, who was a senior at the university, lying on the ground inside the tower with trauma to her head and neck. She reportedly fell 30 to 40 feet.

Joseph M. McShane, the university’s president, noted in a letter to students that Monfries was weeks from graduating with a bachelor’s degree, and said the school planned to award her degree posthumously.

Monfries had worked as a new intern at NBC affiliate KGW-TV in Portland, Ore., and was a photo editor at InStyle.

The school was reportedly investigating how the students gained access to the tower.

Sydney Monfries (Facebook)