REVERE, MASS. (WHDH) - The city of Revere issued a citation for multiple “building violations” after a young child fell from the third-floor balcony of a residential building earlier this week, Mayor Patrick Keefe Jr. announced.
The incident happened on Wednesday at a multi-family home on Shirley Avenue. A Revere police spokesperson said the child was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital and was in stable condition Wednesday evening.
SKY7-HD spotted crime scene tape around the home after the incident. People who live nearby said they were shocked by what happened.
Keefe in his announcement Thursday said he is praying for the injured child’s recovery.
Keefe thanked first responders for their response but said the conditions at the home where this incident took place are “unacceptable.”
“No family should have to live in unsafe housing conditions and Landlords have a responsibility to ensure safety for their tenants,” he said.
In addition to the citation, Keefe said he activated Revere’s Code Enforcement Task Force which, in partnership with the Revere Inspectional Services Department and other agencies, will conduct “thorough inspections of the entire property.”
No further information was available about the citation the city of Revere issued or the specific conditions inside the home on Shirley Avenue.
“I have been very emotional for a few days,” said the building’s landlord.
The landlord told 7News that the tenants on the third floor reported a problem with the railing last week. She said she booked a contractor the next day and work was set to begin a week later.
“It’s not like we didn’t want to fix anything. It just takes time,” she said.
The landlord claims it was during that time lag that the child dropped three stories from the deck to the ground.
The injured child remained in stable condition as of Friday morning.
“I got a pit in my stomach,” Keefe said in an interview Friday. “You need to make sure you’re protecting your residents and we’re gonna hold you accountable for it.”
He said the landlord was told to stop use of all the balconies until inspectors could make sure they were safe.
As the landlord vows to fix the problems, she explained that she did what she could.
“I have reminded them many times if their kids are going to play outside on the porch, adults should be with them,” she said. “I thought they know it was dangerous. They should have stayed there with the kids.”
Keefe said building inspectors will be back at the home over the next few days. He also said the Suffolk County District Attorney was involved in the case.
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