A woman has died and a baby remains in critical condition after an early morning plunge from a Bronx apartment building that witnesses told police was no accident.
Officers converged on 2550 Olinville Avenue at 3:38 a.m. Tuesday, where they discovered the two victims on the ground suffering injuries consistent with a fall from an elevated position, according to the NYPD. Both were rushed to Jacobi Hospital in critical condition. The woman was later pronounced dead.
Authorities have not released the identities of either victim or disclosed their relationship to each other. The nature of the fall also remains under investigation, with police declining to characterize the incident as accidental or intentional beyond the witness accounts.
A witness told officers that one of the victims was an infant, WABC reported. That same witness claimed to police that both the woman and the baby had been thrown from a balcony.
Police have not identified any suspect or revealed who the witness alleged was responsible for throwing the victims. No arrests had been announced as of the initial reports.
NYPD officers were observed entering the 18-story apartment complex as the investigation continued through the morning. The building, located in the Olinville neighborhood of the Bronx, stands near the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden.
The incident drew a heavy police presence to the residential block in the predawn hours. Neighbors in the area awoke to flashing lights and the sight of officers canvassing the scene.
The baby survived the fall but remained in critical condition at Jacobi Hospital, the same facility where medical staff had attempted to save the woman’s life. The hospital, located about two miles from the incident scene, serves as a Level I trauma center for the borough.
Authorities have appealed for additional witnesses to come forward as detectives work to establish the circumstances that led to the fatal plunge. The investigation remains active.