7-year-old boy dies after falling 21 floors at Fort Lee high-rise apartment building
One neighbor said the boy fell from the 21st floor of the Hampshire House apartment building on Anderson Avenue.
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A 7-year-old boy was killed in a fall from a high-rise apartment building in Fort Lee on Wednesday, according to Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich.
He says the boy went to school in town but was not enrolled in the public school system.
“All indications as of now is that this was just a tragic accident. I don't recall this happening in the past. Not to suggest that no action be taken going forward. I don't know all the circumstances, but we're going to analyze them and see if there's any steps that we can take,” Sokolich said.
One neighbor said the boy fell from the 21st floor of the Hampshire House apartment building on Anderson Avenue. The building has balconies in addition to windows. The boy was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center and was pronounced dead. His identity has not been released.
News 12 visited the area Thursday and saw police at Christ the Teacher Academy, a school next to the apartment building. A woman who works in the main office at the school told News 12 there were grief counselors at the school.
Window guards on buildings are not required under state law. Landlords only have to install them if a tenant asks for them and has a child that is 10 years old or younger living in the unit or spending a lot of time there.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the incident. News 12 reached out to the prosecutor’s office for further information, but officials have declined to provide an interview or release the identity of the child.
