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.<\/p>\n
The accident happened at East 167th Street and Washington Avenue just before 11 a.m.<\/p>\n
The child was taken to Harlem Hospital and was said to be stable.<\/p>\n
A witness told Eyewitness News he heard a thud.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Toribo says he ran to the fire station on the corner for help.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
Officials say a parent was home at the time of the incident.<\/p>\n
It is believed the child climbed out a window that did not have bars.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Other safety measures, like window gates, can be installed on windows leading to fire escapes.<\/p>\n
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