2-year-old falls from 20-story high-rise in New Jersey’s Newark; cops launch probe as tragic incident stuns neighbors in the building; here’s what we know so far

A shocking incident occurred in New Jersey, where a two-year-old lost his life after he reportedly fell from a window on the 20th floor of an apartment building in Newark. According to multiple reports, police were called to a high-rise building, Elizabeth Towers at 455 Elizabeth Avenue, around 7 AM on Saturday (15 November 2025).

An investigation was launched into the matter as authorities tried to determine the reason behind the fatal fall. The toddler was pronounced dead at the scene, NBC New York reported, citing Newark and Essex County officials. The name of the deceased toddler has not been released, and his identity has not been made public.

What did the two-year-old’s neighbors and tenants say?

The neighbors of the two-year-old boy told NBC New York that his family was from Ghana. Video footage from news stations showed crews covering up an open window on the building's 20th floor, PEOPLE reported, citing FOX 5 New York.

One neighbor described the child as "my little bro." "I really love him. I’m really sad. My heart is broken," the neighbor told NBC New York. "A couple of days [ago], I was just playing right here with him." "This building is old, and it needs to be renovated," the person added. "This is really tough," said neighbor Paul Ankrah. "The window is big; it's really big."

Ankrah claimed that Elizabeth Towers installed window guards in his apartment after he told the manager of the property that he had a child. "My windows are safe. Before I moved in, I made sure they put up the barricade," he said. Another resident, Annie Richardson, claimed that the building is seemingly understaffed. "They don’t have enough help...to get things going to fix problems," she told NBC New York.

While speaking to CBS New York, tenants said that there are many families residing in the building who have children, and some units have installed security bars over the windows to help prevent tragedies such as this one.

The tragic incident remained under investigation as of noon on Saturday, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda told NJ.com. "We need safety," tenant Belinda Owsumenseh added to CBS New York, "because there are a lot of people here that have little kids, and definitely nobody wants that to happen again."