Four NYC Kids Survive Window Falls Spark Safety Concerns

Four kids fell from windows in New York City over the last five months. Each child lived through the fall. The most recent happened in the Bronx when a five year old boy tumbled out of a fifth floor window.

The boy named Dylan Moquete was five and had just turned five in July. His mother had left for the Dominican Republic the day before. His twenty two year old sister was watching him. While she was cooking in the kitchen Dylan crawled out the window. He fell about fifty feet onto the pavement. He suffered multiple fractures but his vital organs were fine. A friend said trash on the ground helped soften the impact.

Other cases include a five year old autistic boy in the Bronx who fell from a third floor window in April. There was no guard because the window opened to a fire escape. His mother had asked the landlord for a removable gate but was refused. A three year old girl in Queens fell from a second story window in May; the building is a two family home so the window guard rule did not apply. A one year old boy in Mott Haven fell from a fifth floor window in July; he was visiting the building and after the fall managers installed guards as directed by the health department.

During the fiscal year that ended June thirty the housing department issued at least fifty eight hundred sixty eight window guard violations. That is seventeen percent lower than the previous year when more than seven thousand forty five violations were recorded. Councilman Phil Wong from Queens said the city should check if the law is being enforced properly. Councilwoman Joann Ariola also from Queens noted that the mayor promised better conditions for tenants but has spent time on foreign politics and what she calls needless theater