Lucky to be alive: Vangelis Kapatos, pictured as a child in this undated photograph, survived a suicide attempt after his fall was broken by piles of rubbish
A man who leapt from his ninth-floor New York apartment in a apparent suicide bid survived after landing on piles of rubbish left uncollected in the recent snow storm.
Vangelis Icapatos, 26, plunged 100ft from his building on West 45th Street wearing just his pajamas and landed on his back, according to police.
He was taken to Bellvue Hospital, where his condition is said to be stable, after the rubbish broke his fall.
Neighbour Ingrid Suprock, 26, told the New York Post: 'I can't believe the garbage broke his fall. I guess the trash saved the guy.'
A police spokesman added: 'He landed on a garbage pile - that’s the only reason he’s alive.'
Mounds of rubbish more than six feet deep are still choking New York City streets more than a week after a massive winter storm saw nearly two feet of snow hit the area.
The Department of Sanitation has announced it will resume rubbish pickups later today for the first time since the Christmas weekend.
It had been suspended after crews struggled to plough streets blocked by abandoned vehicles, commissioner John Doherty said.
Lifesaver: The piles of uncollected rubbish outside the New York apartment of Vangelis Icapatos which saved him when he jumped from the ninth floor
'We are able to resume garbage pickups now that significant progress has been made in clearing away the aftermath of last Sunday's massive blizzard.'
The department received heavy criticism after it emerged workers were told to skip streets and stage a go-slow in protest at budget cuts.
A group of four supervisors are also under investigation for allegedly buying beer and getting drunk in their department cars instead of helping to clear the snow.
Terrifying: Angelo Kapatos survived his leap from the open window of the 9th floor apartment when he landed on the trash below
The department received heavy criticism after it emerged workers were told to skip streets and stage a go-slow in protest at budget cuts.
A group of four supervisors are also under investigation for allegedly buying beer and getting drunk in their department cars instead of helping to clear the snow.
The city's Department of Investigation is probing the incident after witnesses claimed to have seen the men buying beer in Brooklyn and ignoring stuck vehicles as they walked back to their cars.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg admited the city's handling of the storm was 'inadequate and unacceptable'.
Daniella Lekach, who lives in Manhattan, said most bins were filled to overflowing and bags of recyclable beer bottles and milk cartons were strewn across streets.
She said: 'It's ok in the winter. I figure it's cold enough that the rodents and insects aren't going to gather.'
But Merilu Granato, who owns a midtown pizzeria, described it as 'a very ugly scene'.
He said: 'We pay so much in taxes. We didn't expect whoever's in charge to be so behind.
'I've been here 30 years and never seen anything like it.'
Only half of the usual number of rubbish collection trucks will be in operation as the sanitation department continues to clear backlogs of snow.
Alternate side of the road parking rules, which were suspended on Boxing Day to allow for streets to be cleared, will be suspended again today so rubbish can be collected.