Child critical after falling out window in Manhattan
CHELSEA, Manhattan (WABC) -- A three-year-old child is in critical condition after falling out an apartment window in Manhattan.
It happened Sunday just after 11:30 a.m. at the NYCHA Chelsea Houses on West 26th Street.
Felix Maldonado III was there, and tried to help.
"She was unconscious at first - the minute I saw her moving, I noticed she was conscious. I knew she was good. She wasn't responsive, but she was moving," he said.
By then, paramedics were there working on the victim, who landed in a grassy area. An AC unit in a window right below may have broken her fall.
"She had some bruising on the right side," Maldonado added.
Neighbors say a woman who lives in that sixth floor apartment rushed downstairs moments after the child, who does not live in that apartment, plunged roughly 60 feet.
"She was just really confused to what might have happened," said Maldonado.
The woman's young kids were also in the sixth floor apartment, but were not hurt. Her mother was babysitting all the children. Neighbors say someone removed the child safety guards from her bedroom window.
After the incident, crews tried reinstalling the child safety bars, but initially had the wrong size.
NYCHA released a statement on Sunday saying,
"This is an active NYPD investigation. NYCHA is also conducting an internal investigation of this unfortunate incident and will work with the family to ensure they are connected to the services they need. Based on an immediate review of our records, window guards were installed on all windows when the family moved into the apartment in January 2023. Less than one week ago, on Wednesday, April 12, property management staff entered the apartment to complete repairs unrelated to window guards, and performed a NYCHA 5 Alive inspection, which includes an inspection for window guards. Our records indicate that window guards were present on all windows throughout the apartment at that time. There are no open repair work orders on record for the windows, window guards, or air conditioners at the residence."
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