Yet another small child has fallen from a window in New York City. This time a four-year-old boy, has tragically fallen out of a building window in East Flatbush. This death highlights an ongoing problem with sufficient window guards and child safety.
“Jonathan was a very sweet boy, lovely, intelligent, and willing to learn. He just graduated from Pre-K a couple of days ago. He is the most beautiful little boy you could ever meet,” said Pouchinara Severin, a family member who helped organize the GoFundMe page.
Police say they responded to a 911 call last Monday afternoon, where they discovered Pierre with “injuries indicative of a fall from an elevated location.” The child was taken to Kings County Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
This time of year, as temperatures rise to unparalleled heights in the city, people are scrambling to keep cool with open windows and air conditioning are ignorning window safety. Several children have fallen out of windows this year, including a 3-year-old girl in Harlem.
Historically, falls are a concern in the vertically-built New York City, accounting for 12% of deaths for children under 15 during the late 1960s. Such numbers spurred the public health campaign “Children Can’t Fly,” which prompted many of the policies seen today.
City law requires landlords and homeowners to install approved window guards in any apartment with children under 10, and encourages tenants with children to be aware of window safety to prevent falls. One- and two-family homes are not covered. The city first implemented the window guard law in 1976. There were over 100 falls every year prior, according to the city.
Even with the law in place there were still a relatively high number of window falls into the 1980s, prompting then Councilmember Fernando Ferrer to introduce a bill that would hit landlords who failed to install window guards with fines and possible jail time.
“I am extremely grieved by the unfortunate accident that claimed the life of a four-year-old in East Flatbush,” said Councilmember Farah Louis.“My heartfelt condolences goes out to the family and the Open Eye Church of God, where the family fellowships.”
The building where Jonathan died had window guards that the child somehow bypassed, said the councilmember’s office. The building’s ownership told the Daily News there was recorded documentation of the installation, which claimed was reportedly signed by the tenant. It is also described as pre-war with “lots of natural light” from a StreetEasy listing from two years ago.
Louis vowed to work with the New York City Department of Housing and Preservation Development (HPD) and the Department of Buildings (DOB) to ensure apartments with kids under 10 are inspected for proper window guards.
“Safety is a top priority, and we must do everything possible to avoid tragedies like these,” said Louis.
Assemblymember Monique Chandler-Waterman added that as a mother she could not fathom how Jonathan’s mother, Marie Nicole Rene, was feeling about her son’s death.
“The Assembly District 58 Public Safety Task Force members are already on the ground using their expertise and experience to provide mental health and other support services to Gabriel’s mother and the community reeling from this traumatic incident,” she said in a statement.
The councilmember’s office said that while the investigation is ongoing, they will be organizing resources for the Pierre family along with the local Crisis Management System (CMS) team. The family also set up their own GoFundMe to help with young Jonathan’s burial.
Outside of New York City, multi-story falls are a problem nationwide for toddlers. Just this week, a 3-year-old girl fatally fell from a balcony in Southside Chicago. Last Wednesday, a 3-year-old boy was injured from falling from a second-story home in Northern California.
Ariama C. Long and Tandy Lau are Report for America corps members and write about politics and public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep them writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.