A 4-year-old boy fell out a sixth-floor window of a Bronx apartment building Tuesday, authorities said.
The child was taken to a hospital after the fall around 12:45 p.m. from the Patterson Houses, a NYCHA complex on East 143rd Street in Mott Haven, police said.
Neighbors pointed out that the boy fell straight down into a grassy-patched area, where the ground is softer and broke his fall, and was conscious but bleeding from his head as he was rushed to Lincoln Hospital just across the street from the complex.
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"Let me tell you something: It’s a miracle that he fell in this grass, that boy was still fighting," said neighbor Juanita Kelsey.
His condition was not clear, but miraculously he is expected to survive.
There was a small space to the side of an air conditioner that had a piece of blue cloth hanging in it, with no window bars visible from the ground level. That's where witnesses said the boy fell through.
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In a statement, a NYCHA spokesperson said: "NYCHA is investigating this unfortunate incident and will work with the family to make sure that they have the services they need. Upon initial review, window guards are present throughout the apartment where required and were last checked in February 2022, and there are no repair work orders on record for the air conditioners present in the residence."
Window bars are required if a child 10 years of age or younger lives in the apartment. However, guard rails are not required next to air conditioner units. According to NYCHA's website, "there shall not be any unguarded spaces greater than 4 1/2 inches on either side of, or above the air conditioner. Spaces greater than 4 1/2 inches must be covered with rigid metal panels that can withstand 150 lbs. of pressure instead of accordion panels."
NBC New York observed multiple windows in the complex that did not appear to meet those standards, however, leaving some concerned.
"That’s why it’s best to have guard rails, to make sure the kids don’t have access to the windows. That’s the number one thing," one neighbor said.
The NYPD says an investigation is ongoing.
