The fatal fall happened on East Lincoln Highway after police say a balcony railing gave way.
COATESVILLE, Pa. — A fatal fall from a second-story balcony has led to murder and manslaughter charges against a Coatesville man who police say pushed another man into a railing during a Saturday night argument.
The death of Moises Galarza-Bermudez began as an emergency call to an apartment building in the 700 block of East Lincoln Highway and became a homicide case after investigators reviewed what happened on the balcony. Police said Neftali Feliciano-Perez, 53, pushed Galarza-Bermudez into the railing, causing it to break and sending both men to the pavement. Galarza-Bermudez was found with head trauma and no pulse. Feliciano-Perez was later jailed on $750,000 bail.
The scene placed a sudden police response on one of Coatesville’s main streets. Officers arrived at the East Lincoln Highway address about 9:51 p.m. April 18 and found Galarza-Bermudez on the sidewalk, authorities said. Emergency crews moved him from the street to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Feliciano-Perez remained at the location. Investigators said the men had been on the second-story balcony of Galarza-Bermudez’s apartment when the argument escalated. “This is the case of an altercation that got out of control,” Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said.
Coatesville is a compact city in Chester County, about 45 miles west of Philadelphia, and East Lincoln Highway carries traffic through its center. A fall from a second-floor apartment balcony would have left evidence in two places at once: the damaged railing above and the sidewalk below. Police had to account for the victim, the suspect, the broken balcony, any people inside the apartment and anyone outside who may have seen the fall. Authorities have not said how many officers responded, how many witnesses were interviewed that night or whether nearby businesses or homes had cameras that recorded the incident.
The public account names only a few moments before the fall. Feliciano-Perez and Galarza-Bermudez were at the victim’s apartment. They argued on the balcony. Feliciano-Perez pushed Galarza-Bermudez into the railing, police said. The railing broke, and both men went over. The complaint does not, in public summaries, describe the words exchanged, the length of the argument or the reason it began. It also does not explain whether the men were friends, relatives, neighbors or acquaintances. Those missing facts are common early in criminal cases, but they leave the public record focused on the physical act and the death that followed.
The condition of the railing may become an important detail as investigators build the case. Prosecutors have said the push caused the railing to break. Defense attorneys may later ask whether the railing was loose, worn or unable to hold the force of two adults. Prosecutors may respond that the charge turns on the alleged push and the foreseeable danger of shoving someone on a balcony. Police have not publicly released photographs of the railing or said whether building inspectors were called after the fall. No public report has described any earlier complaints about the balcony or the apartment building.
Feliciano-Perez is charged with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. The list of charges reflects the way prosecutors often file several counts tied to one act and one death. The murder count alleges the most serious level of criminal responsibility. The manslaughter count addresses a lower but still serious theory based on reckless conduct. The assault counts focus on the push and the bodily harm. The reckless endangerment count covers conduct that prosecutors say placed another person in danger of death or serious injury. The counts may be tested as the case moves through court.
The victim’s age has not been released in the public reports reviewed for the case. Authorities have identified him as Moises Galarza-Bermudez and said the apartment was his residence. That detail makes the balcony not only the site of the argument but part of his home. The night ended with police and emergency crews at the building, a sidewalk death investigation and a suspect still at the scene. The district attorney offered condolences to Galarza-Bermudez’s relatives and friends, but officials did not release statements from family members. No public memorial or funeral information was included in the reports about the charges.
The investigation is being handled by the City of Coatesville Police Department, with the Chester County District Attorney’s Office involved in the prosecution. Chester County detectives also assisted, according to local reports. Police asked people with information to contact Detective Jose Colon or the department. Investigators may still be trying to place the men minute by minute, confirm whether anyone else was on the balcony and determine what was visible from nearby apartments or the street. They also may rely on the hospital’s medical findings to show how the fall caused Galarza-Bermudez’s death.
The first court steps were already set in motion after Feliciano-Perez’s arrest. He was arraigned and committed to Chester County Prison when he could not post $750,000 bail. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for April 29. At that hearing, prosecutors would not need to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, but they would need enough evidence for a judge to send charges forward. Feliciano-Perez could seek a bail change later, and the defense could challenge statements, evidence or the legal strength of the murder charge in later proceedings.
Officials have not said whether Feliciano-Perez was hurt in the fall, whether he received medical treatment or whether he gave a statement to police. They also have not said whether the balcony was part of a private apartment, a shared exterior walkway or a structure used by multiple residents. Those facts may affect how investigators reconstruct the fall. For now, the official version remains direct: an argument on a balcony, a shove into a railing, a broken barrier and a death on the sidewalk below.
The case remained active as police continued seeking information and prosecutors prepared for the next court step. Feliciano-Perez stayed in Chester County Prison on $750,000 bail while the charge of third-degree murder moved toward preliminary review.
Author note: Last updated May 18, 2026.