Tragedy at home: child died after falling from 21st floor balcony in NJ
A 7-year-old boy died yesterday after falling from an apartment balcony in New Jersey. Police blocked off the rear parking lot of the complex for several hours after the accident
A 7-year-old boy died yesterday after falling from an apartment balcony in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
The unidentified minor was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, ABC News detailed. A spokesman for the Bergen County Prosecutors Office confirmed they are investigating whether the child accidentally fell from a 21st-floor balcony at the Hampshire House complex on Anderson Avenue around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Fort Lee police blocked off the rear parking lot of the complex for several hours after the accident, Pix11 reported. Further details about the event have not been released at this time.
In a similar case in July, a 3-year-old baby girl was critically hospitalized after falling from a 6th floor window in her Harlem (NYC) home and her family was apparently slow to notice. A few days later a 4-year-old boy died after falling out of a window at his 4th floor home in a building in Brooklyn (NYC).
Earlier in June a 4-year-old girl miraculously survived after falling from a 3rd floor window in a residential building in Brooklyn.
These types of accidents happen more frequently as the temperature rises in the city and adults open windows to cool the spaces. As prevention, authorities remind:
- Carefully check window guards periodically. Covers or screens are not safe substitutes.
- Never place a bed, chair or other object that children can climb on in front of a window.
- Keep children off balconies and decks if they are not being closely supervised by an adult by closing doors to these areas.
- Never allow children to play near elevator shafts or on fire escapes, balconies, decks or roofs. Also, do not allow them to be unsupervised in building hallways that have unattended windows.
- Call 311 to report unguarded hallway windows.