Julia Wilcox-Polanco’s parents said the fifth-floor window involved in her fatal fall did not have a window guard.
NEW YORK — The death of a 2-year-old girl who fell from a fifth-floor Bronx apartment is drawing attention to window protections in homes with young children after her parents said the window involved in the fall did not have a guard.
Julia Wilcox-Polanco died after falling Tuesday night from her family’s apartment on East 138th Street near St. Ann’s Avenue in Mott Haven. Police sources said she apparently got through an opening involving the divider between a window and an air-conditioning unit. She was taken to Harlem Hospital and pronounced dead.
Julia’s parents, Thessa Wilcox and Chayanne Polanco, said only some windows in their apartment had window guards. They said the window their daughter fell through was not among them. Police have said no criminality is suspected, and authorities have not announced any finding that a landlord, tenant or other person violated city window-safety requirements.
New York City requires approved window guards in many apartments where children age 10 or younger reside. In buildings with three or more apartments, owners generally must provide and properly install approved guards in required windows when a young child lives in the unit. Windows providing access to fire escapes are among the exceptions specified by the city.
City rules also address windows containing air conditioners. New York City health guidance says air-conditioning units in affected apartments must be permanently and securely installed. Open space beside a unit generally may not exceed 4 1/2 inches, and rigid, secure material is required to cover larger gaps. City officials updated window-guard rules that took effect Jan. 1, 2026, including provisions addressing air-conditioner installation.
The exact condition and installation of the window involved in Julia’s fall have not been fully detailed by investigators. ABC7 New York reported that police sources believe she pushed out an accordion-style divider between the window and the air conditioner. Her parents said they had not expected the toddler to be able to get through the opening.
Wilcox said she briefly left the room Tuesday night and then noticed through a baby monitor that Julia was no longer there. She rushed back and discovered the child had fallen. Wilcox ran downstairs and tried to reach her daughter in an alley, while emergency personnel were called to the building.
The parents also told NBC New York that they had previously contacted 311 about safety concerns involving their apartment. The precise nature, dates and disposition of those complaints were not detailed in the report, and city officials had not publicly connected any prior complaint to the window involved in Julia’s death.
New York City’s Health Department says building owners can face violations when required window guards are missing or improperly installed. The city also provides a 311 complaint process for missing guards or installation problems. Those general requirements do not by themselves establish whether a violation occurred in Julia’s apartment, which remains a matter for investigators and relevant city agencies to determine.
Police said no criminality is suspected in the child’s death. The investigation remains open, and officials have not announced charges or released a final determination about the condition of the window or whether all applicable safety requirements had been met.
Author note: Last updated November 5, 2026.