Police said that a 9-year-old boy died on Sunday in the Mt. Hope section of the Bronx. They said he appears to have fallen out of a window, though the investigation is ongoing. The FDNY said the child died from a cardiac arrest.

A police spokesperson said the incident occurred at around 4.11 p.m. on Sunday, May 21. “Police responded to a 911 call of an aided child outside 240 Mt. Hope Place in the confines of the 46 [precinct]. Upon arrival, they observed an unconscious and unresponsive 9-year-old male with injuries indicative of falling from an elevated position.”

The spokesperson added, “A preliminary investigation determined that the child fell out of a window and the officers brought the child to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.”

The spokesperson said the child appears to have fallen from the fourth floor of the building, a residential multistory structure. Asked if the child was accompanied at the time of the fall, the officer said, “I don’t have any details of that right now.”

Asked if the window had been open or shut, the spokesperson again said he did not have any of those details.

The FDNY later told Norwood News emergency services received a call at 4.12 p.m. on Sunday for details of a cardiac arrest at 240 Mt. Hope Place, at Monroe Avenue and Anthony Avenue and that one person was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital.

The young victim was later named as Miguel Ramos.

In July 2021, as reported at the time, a 4-year-old boy was critically injured after he fell from a balcony in the Van Nest neighborhood of The Bronx.

According to NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOH), each year, young children are injured or die in falls from unguarded windows, even from the first floor. “These tragedies are preventable with properly installed and approved window guards, which are required in many residential buildings,” health officials said.

“You must have window guards if you live in a building that has at least three apartments and a child 10 or younger lives in your apartment,” they said. “If you do not have window guards, ask your landlord to install them. If the landlord doesn’t fix the problem, file a complaint online or call 311.”

Health officials added, “Never leave a child alone in a room where there are open windows that do not have window guards. If window guards are not installed, keep windows closed and make sure children cannot climb up to them. Screens are not a substitute for window guards.”

They concluded, “Even if you do not have a child 10 or younger who lives with you, you can still get window guards installed in your windows. If a window has an air conditioner, it must be permanently and securely installed with one-way metal screws to prevent any falls. The law does not allow tenants to remove window guards to install air conditioners. You can request the building owner to install your air conditioner unit and window guards in your home.”

According to DOH, owners of buildings of three or more apartments must provide and properly install approved window guards (PDF) in any apartment where a child 10 or younger resides. Tenants without children may also request window guards for any reason. Approved window guards must be properly installed according to City Health Code specifications in all windows, including bathroom windows and public hallway windows, but excluding windows that provide access to fire escapes.

Window guards, or any other type of limiting device, must be appropriate and approved for the type of window (double hung, casement, sliding, etc.) in which they are installed, according to DOH. For buildings with fire escapes above the first and ground floors, but none below, one window must be left unguarded to allow for a secondary exit from the apartment. Building owners who do not meet this requirement may be fined.

It is unknown if there was a guard on the window of the impacted apartment at 240 Mt. Hope Place or not. Details of the two most recent complaints logged by tenants at 240 Mt. Hope Place in 2020 and in 2021 are attached. Both are resolved and do not appear to refer to window guards.

Meanwhile, According to NYC Department of Finance records, an initial UCC1 document was filed with the Office of the City Register of the City of New York in March 2019.

According to the property website, Street Easy, an initial UCC1 security agreement, which a bank or lending agency files with the New York County Clerk’s Office, is to indicate that if a borrower sells the property before they have repaid a loan in full, the new property owner will owe to the lender the balance of the loan taken out by the borrower. If the borrower defaults on a payment, the UCC1 authorizes the lender to seize the property.

The parties involved in this case are Madison Abstract Inc., located in Scarsdale NY, 240 Mt. Hope Realty LLC, and New York Community Bank (the presumed lender). The entity, 240 Mt. Hope Realty LLC, is located at 2840 Jerome Avenue in the Kingsbridge Heights section of The Bronx.

Norwood News reached out to Madison Abstract Inc. by phone and email to ask if it was the current owner of the property and to ask if any requests for window guards had been made by residents of the building. A representative responded, saying, “We are not the owners. We are a title company and have recorded documents on this property which is why our name appears as submitter on recorded documents.” We asked if Madison Abstract could confirm if the owner is 240 Mt. Hope Realty LLC, and will update this story upon receipt of any response.

According to the website, whoownswhat.justfix.org, Edin Kolenovic is listed as the “agent” for 240 Mt. Hope Place B, Jose Nunez is listed as the “site manager” and 240 Mt. Hope Realty LLC is listed as the “corporation,” as of Sept. 11, 2022.

Norwood News also reached out to 240 Mt. Hope Realty by phone on a number listed for the company on the website, mapquest.com, i.e. (718) 367 1782. We received the following message: “The number you have dialed is not in service.”

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.