The mother of the three year-old boy who died after falling from a 29th floor balcony of a New York City apartment building on Saturday morning was facing a previous child endangerment charge at the time of her son's death.
Jayce Garcia plunged to his death from the Harlem apartment tower Saturday, with his mom, Jayda Garcia, now revealed as a suspected child neglecter, the New York Post revealed.
Jayce Plunged to His Death Through Mosquito Netting on Apartment Balcony
Jayda and the toddler's dad had been talking in the bedroom Saturday morning thinking their 3-year-old son was fine playing in the living room, the parents told cops, according to law-enforcement sources.
When the pair realized they weren't hearing their son anymore, they began scouring the apartment, with the 30-year-old mom running into the living room — where she saw the loose mesh mosquito netting on the balcony, sources said.
When she looked down from the 29th-floor balcony, she saw Jayce's tiny body on scaffolding on the third floor of the building next door, sources said. The toddler was rushed to the Harlem hospital in a critical condition and was later declared dead.
Cops think the toddler walked out onto the balcony while his parents were in the other room, climbed over a chair to look over and fell, according to the sources. Tenants said that with the building's air conditioning frequently not working, many residents tend to keep their balcony doors open.
Jayda Had a Pending Child Endangerment Charge, Parents Heard Arguing Before Jayce's Fall
Records show that the toddler's mother has an open case on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child dating to November, while the 24-year-old father has been named nine times in domestic-violence reports — seven of them as the victim. Most cases against the pair, dating to 2018, have since been sealed.
It's unclear if Jayda is the person accused of abusing him, with the couple reportedly heard arguing in the run-up to their son's horrific death fall. Nidia Cordero, 58, a foster mom who lived on the 34th floor, said her kids heard a fight between adults on the 29th floor minutes before the toddler fell.
