A 20-year-old man fell to his death as he and a friend tried to take photos of the skyline from a catwalk above the roof of the Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday night, the authorities said.

The man, Conner Cummings of Rockaway, N.J., and his friend took the elevator to the top floor of the 52-story hotel, and then climbed up several flights of stairs onto the roof. There they gained access to a fenced-off area that contained cooling equipment and fans surrounded by ladders leading to metal catwalks.

After clambering up a 25-foot ladder to the catwalk area, the pair began taking photos using hand-held cameras, police officials said. Around 11:15 p.m., as rain was falling over Manhattan, Mr. Cummings stepped back and fell through an opening in the floor of the catwalk, where the ladder joined with the landing.

His friend, 18, told investigators he heard a bang and found Mr. Cummings’s body on the roof 25 feet below the catwalk.

The friend notified hotel security, who called the authorities, the police said. Mr. Cummings, who the police earlier said was 24, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Neither he nor his friend was a guest at the hotel. The friend, whose name was not released, was not charged, the police said.

Kevin Carroll, 53, of Wilmington, Del., was having drinks in the lobby of the Four Seasons with his wife, Danielle, around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday when they noticed “a ton of firemen going up the elevators,” Mr. Carroll said.

Doormen on the morning shift on Thursday said they could not recall anyone having climbed up the hotel’s exterior before.

The hotel said in a statement, “The safety and security of our guests, patrons and employees is a top priority for us.” The statement added, “Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased and we extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to them.”