Witness accounts have raised the possibility of foul play, but police have not determined how the woman and infant fell.
NEW YORK — Detectives investigating the death of a 23-year-old woman and the critical injuries of a 5-month-old girl in the Bronx are examining a 15th-floor balcony, looking for surveillance video and interviewing witnesses as they try to determine whether the pair fell or were forced from the building.
The woman and infant were found outside 2550 Olinville Ave. in the Allerton section shortly after police were called at about 3:38 a.m. Tuesday. Both had injuries consistent with a fall from an elevated position, according to police accounts. The woman died, while the baby was taken to Jacobi Hospital in critical condition.
The central question remained unresolved Tuesday: how the two came to be outside the building. Police had not announced that the death was a homicide, and no arrest had been made. Investigators were considering several possibilities while collecting physical evidence and statements from people who may have heard or seen events before the fall.
A witness told police that the woman and baby had been thrown from a balcony, WABC-TV reported. Authorities had not confirmed that allegation. A second witness told the station she heard a woman pleading shortly before seeing something fall. Those accounts could help guide investigators, but police had not said whether evidence collected at the building supported them.
Officers examined a 15th-floor balcony for hours and canvassed for surveillance footage and additional witnesses, according to WABC-TV. That work could help detectives establish a timeline, identify who was inside the building and determine the point from which the woman and child fell. Police had not disclosed whether investigators recovered evidence from the balcony.
The inquiry also included efforts to speak with the woman’s ex-boyfriend, WABC-TV reported. Authorities had not accused him of wrongdoing or announced that he was a suspect. Separately, a report based on information from the NYPD said police had not identified a person of interest, indicating that detectives had not publicly assigned criminal responsibility.
Early accounts also showed why investigators had not settled on a single explanation. One report said a caller believed a woman had jumped from a terrace with a baby, while another witness alleged that the pair were thrown. Police themselves initially described only what officers could establish at the scene: a woman and child had injuries consistent with an elevated fall.
Authorities had not publicly identified the woman or infant in the initial reports, and some basic circumstances remained unclear. Police had not announced what happened inside the building before the fall, who else may have been present or whether the woman and child had been on the balcony before the emergency call.
The infant’s condition added urgency to the investigation. The 5-month-old girl remained critically injured at Jacobi Hospital in the accounts reviewed Tuesday. Officials had not released a more detailed medical update.
Detectives continued gathering video, physical evidence and witness statements as the investigation remained open. Until that work establishes what happened, police have not confirmed claims that the woman and baby were pushed or thrown, and no criminal charges have been announced.
Author note: Last updated October 6, 2026.