MORRISANIA, Bronx (WABC) — The New York City Health Department is investigating after a five-year-old boy climbed out of a third-floor window and fell from the fire escape in the Bronx on Monday morning.
The accident happened at East 167th Street and Washington Avenue just before 11 a.m.
The child was taken to Harlem Hospital and was said to be stable.
A witness told Eyewitness News he heard a thud.
“It was only when I actually opened the door and saw him lying there that it hit me, that’s when he let out a scream; I grew even more nervous, and-seeing him there. I didn’t dare move him,” said witness Jesus Toribo.
Toribo says he ran to the fire station on the corner for help.
“I didn’t know what to do; I kept going back and forth to check on him until the firefighters finally arrived,” Toribo said. “I stayed right there near him. I was a nervous wreck; my knees were shaking. It was terrible.”
Officials say a parent was home at the time of the incident.
It is believed the child climbed out a window that did not have bars.
The Health Department says that windows that provide access to a fire escape or serve as a secondary emergency exit are exempt from window guard requirements and must remain accessible to ensure emergency exit.
Other safety measures, like window gates, can be installed on windows leading to fire escapes.
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