Julia Wilcox-Polanco, 2, apparently passed through an opening beside a window air conditioner at her family’s Mott Haven apartment.
NEW YORK — A 2-year-old girl died after falling from a fifth-floor apartment window in the Bronx after apparently getting through an opening beside a window air-conditioning unit, police and her family said. Authorities said no criminality is suspected.
Julia Wilcox-Polanco fell late Nov. 3 from her family’s apartment on East 138th Street near St. Ann’s Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood. Police responding to the building found her unconscious and critically injured. She was taken to Harlem Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Investigators believe Julia pushed through or removed an accordion-style side panel beside the air conditioner, creating an opening large enough for her to fall through.
Julia’s mother, Thessa Wilcox, said she had briefly stepped into another room while her daughter remained in the living room. Wilcox told local news outlets that she checked a baby monitor, realized Julia was no longer visible and rushed back. Police sources and family accounts indicate the child had reached the window during that short period. Her father, Chayanne Polanco, was away from the apartment and learned about the fall while returning home.
The family said the window Julia fell from did not have a window guard. They told reporters that other windows in the apartment had guards and that they had previously raised concerns about safety in the home. The family also said it had contacted the city’s 311 system about window guards. However, city officials told CBS News New York that 311 and Department of Housing Preservation and Development records showed no window-guard complaints connected to the apartment from 2020 through the present. The reason for that discrepancy has not been established.
The building superintendent said the family had installed the window air-conditioning unit themselves and that its plastic accordion-style side panels had been secured with tape. City officials have not announced a finding that establishes responsibility for the condition of the window or the installation. The New York City Department of Health said it is investigating the circumstances of the fall.
New York City requires approved window guards or limiting devices in many apartments where children age 10 or younger live. City guidance says that in buildings with at least three apartments, owners must provide required window protections. Windows containing air conditioners must also be securely installed, and open spaces greater than 4½ inches beside a unit must be covered with rigid, secure material. Authorities have not publicly announced whether any housing or safety violation contributed to Julia’s death.
Family members described Julia as energetic, affectionate and active. Her parents said she was their only child and had recently celebrated Halloween with them. A memorial of flowers and candles was created near the apartment building after her death as relatives and neighbors mourned the toddler.
Family, friends and community members gathered for a prayer vigil Friday in Mott Haven. Julia’s parents spoke about their daughter and the routines and memories they said they would miss. Her family is also raising money for funeral expenses and plans to bring her to South Dakota for burial in a family plot.
The New York Police Department continues to investigate the death, but police have said they do not suspect criminal activity. The city’s Health Department is also reviewing the circumstances involving the window and air-conditioning unit. No charges had been announced as of Friday.