NYPD: Mother Throws 4-Week-Old Daughter, 2-Year-Old Son Out Window Before Jumping Out Herself
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police say a mother threw her two young children, including a newborn, out of a second-story window in Brooklyn on Saturday morning.
Neighbors at the Brownsville apartment building on Rockaway Parkway told CBS2's Kiran Dhillon the woman and her kids had only lived there a short while before Saturday's horrifying incident.
The aftermath of the frightening incident was caught on cell phone video.
Paramedics can be seen tending to two small children just moments after police say their 24-year-old mother Dejhanay Jarrell tossed them out of a second-floor window.
Neighbor Carl Chin lives behind the alley of 178 Rockaway Parkway.
"We heard crying and then we heard a thump," he said.
He says after hearing noises around 11 a.m., he looked outside to see two children, a 4-week-old baby girl and 2-year-old boy on the pavement. Their naked mother was standing on the fire escape above.
"She was standing over the ledge, and she just jumped straight down," Chin said.
Desperate to help, Chin called 911 and, barefoot, jumped a railing to get to Jarrell, who he says was still hurting the baby.
"She gripped the baby tight, so I kind of struggled with her to get the baby away from her," he said.
Chin eventually got the baby girl into his own arms.
He says mom seemed distraught but grateful.
"She even thanked me and told me to take care of her daughter," Chin said. "She was basically tired of being alone and not getting enough sleep."
Jarrell and both children were taken to a local hospital.
But Chin says those final moments he'll never forget.
"To see that is horrific, and I just did what any decent person would have done in that situation. I just reacted," he said.
His sister-in-law Shandie Harrison, who was also there, agrees.
They say the mom did not seem to be in her right mind.
"She was asking for help. She asked my brother-in-law to take care of the baby ... I hope she gets the best help she can. You know, a family member try to reach out to her and people are in the surrounding. She needs help," Harrison said.
At last check, police say the 4-week-old baby girl remains in critical condition.
The 2-year-old boy and his mother suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Police say what lead to the incident is unclear, but mental illness may have been a factor.
Jarrell has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two coutns of assault and two counts of reckless endangerment.
CBS2's Kiran Dhillon contributed to this report.