After child plunges from 5th story window in Brooklyn, mom speaks out
NEW YORK - A Brooklyn boy is recovering after falling out of a fifth floor window.
The 4-year-old plunged from the bedroom window of an apartment on East 21st Street at around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. That's when the boy's mother said she went to check on her son, but he wasn't in his bed.
"He's my life. He's my everything," she said. "My heart started, just, pumping."
She noticed a side panel of the air conditioning unit had been pushed open and called 911.
Investigators believe the 4-year-old was playing with it and slid through, plunging five stories to the ground. He was rushed to the hospital in serious but stable condition. His mother says he has several broken bones, but says he's tough, and will recover.
"Broken arm and his leg, yeah, swollen and everything. His face, is a little bit swollen, but he didn't get hit. There's nothing wrong with his brain, thank God for that," the boy's mother said.
AC installation under scrutiny
There was no criminality involved, police said, but they're still investigating how it happened. The boy's mother said she and her partner installed the unit.
"The lady admitted to the super that she moved the child gate and she installed an air conditioner. So the super asked her why you did not ask me to come to secure the air conditioner, you have to put a bracket," the building's landlord said. "She said she forgot to call the super... it's a shame what happened."
The landlord said they have since bolted the family's air conditioner in place, and are now inspecting all other AC units in the building.
"I try to protect this boy so much," his mother said.
The 4-year-old remains hospitalized. His mother's message to parents is to make sure AC units are secured so this doesn't happen to anybody else's child.
