Teen Remains In Critical Condition After Falling From Bronx Roof
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 17-year-old boy is hospitalized in critical condition after falling from the roof of a Bronx building.
At around 7:35 p.m. Thursday, four uniformed officers were on foot patrol on Valentine Avenue when they were approached by a man who told them a large bunch of teens were gathered in the lobby of a nearby building, smoking marijuana, police said.
When officers approached the lobby, one teen had his arms across the door allowing the other teens to flee, police said.
When the officers were able to get into the building, two officers stayed with three teens, while two other officers followed a bunch of other teens up onto the roof.
Teen In Critical Condition After Falling From Bronx Roof
While on the roof, officers saw two teens run to the north side of the roof. They yelled for them to stop, when a 17-year-old climbed a wall, police said.
The other teen grabbed on to the 17-year-old and began to lose his footing, police said. An officer then grabbed on to the teen to keep him from falling when the first teen, unable to hold on, fell six stories, police said.
The officers ran downstairs and with the other two officers tried to help the teen by performing chest compressions until EMS arrived, police said.
The teen was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in critical condition.
A witness named Sonia told 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck she heard the teen fall and calls this a terrible tragedy.
"I'm sitting by my window and all I heard was a 'Boom!'" she told Schuck. "So I go to the window, I don't see nothing, but I look down, my uncle's right there holding somebody. He's saying, 'Hold on, hold on.'"
"I pray to God, I don't know how his mother's going to take it, but it's sad," she added. "If they were able to keep this door closed these kids wouldn't have gone to this building and start that smoking and stuff."
According to residents, the teen goes by the name Hakeem and the nickname "Tick."
There has been no arrest and the investigation is being conducted by the Internal Affairs Bureau.
