3-year-old hospitalized after falling out of 6th floor window in Harlem
NEW YORK -- A 3-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital after falling from a sixth-floor window in Harlem on Tuesday.
It happened shortly before noon on West 137th Street.
Neighbors told CBS New York they are praying for the child.
Not only did someone hear the moment the child fell, she also happens to live just a few doors down from a hospital, so every response was instantaneous.
"I heard something loud," handyman Alfred Morson said.
Unfortunately, that sound was the 3-year-old child that fell six stories.
"Oh my God. I ran over to the baby and dropped everything, stayed with the baby until somebody came. I kept making noises to keep the kid with us," Morson said.
According to police, the child was bleeding from the mouth when emergency units arrived. EMS was able to get her from the West 137th Street building to Harlem Hospital about half block away in an instant.
"Critical condition, but she's holding on," neighbor Ivy Jenkins said of the little victim.
Neighbors said the child was able to squeeze through the gap between the air conditioner and the wall.
"You see how all those are centered? Theirs wasn't centered," Jenkins said.
Building supervisor Kevin Williams said air conditioning units from other floors helped break the toddler's fall.
"I think she came down the side of the building because there are ACs coming down the side. Her body shifted as it was coming down. It didn't come flush down, thank God," Williams said.
On the tight-knit block, where neighbors look out for neighbors, some told CBS New York they are keeping the family in their prayers.
"She was devastated. She was crying saying, 'I'm a good mother. I take care of my kids. I do this, I do that. I said, 'Yes, you do,'" Jenkins said.
The child remains in the hospital. At this time, police say they do not suspect any criminality.