When 19-year-old Zac Brettler jumped from a fifth-floor balcony in London in November 2019, the coroner recorded an open verdict, stating: 'I don't know what happened.' The case has now drawn the attention of acclaimed author Patrick Radden Keefe, known for works such as 'Say Nothing' and 'Empire of Pain'. Keefe's new book, 'London Falling', delves into the circumstances surrounding Brettler's death.
Keefe first learned of the case in summer 2023 while in London for the filming of the television adaptation of 'Say Nothing'. A friend of the director told him about the Brettler family, who had experienced a tragic and mysterious loss. Zac Brettler had spent his final months in the company of two men who believed he was the son of a Russian oligarch, heir to a £200 million fortune. Both men were with Zac on the night he died, and their accounts to police varied.
The Brettler family criticised the Metropolitan Police's response, noting that key witnesses were not formally interviewed and bloodstains on the apartment walls were not tested. The Crown Prosecution Service concluded in 2021 that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges for murder or perverting the course of justice. An inquest in 2022 ended with an open verdict, leaving the family without answers.
Keefe's investigation, initially published in the New Yorker in February 2024, explores how Zac's environment may have contributed to his fate. He attended a private secondary school transformed by the global super-rich, where he became obsessed with status symbols and money. Zac often fabricated stories about his family's wealth, claiming his father was an arms dealer and that they lived in One Hyde Park.
His parents, Rachelle and Matthew Brettler, had grown concerned about his behaviour and sought psychiatric help for him. Despite their efforts, Zac's fascination with wealth and power led him into dangerous circles. Keefe's book aims to shed light on the events leading up to Zac's death and the broader impact of oligarch money on London.
