The parents of the 1-year-old girl thrown three floors down a trash chute — allegedly by her own uncle — in their Staten Island apartment building scrambled to rescue her as they heard her cries, law enforcement sources said Tuesday.
The 39-year-old man allegedly dropped the tot down the chute inside the family’s building on Steuben Street near Weser Avenue in Park Hill around 3:15 p.m. Monday, while her father was in the bathroom, authorities and sources said.
When the girl’s dad left the restroom, he asked where his daughter was – and his brother replied that he’d dropped her down the chute, the sources said.
The parents of the 1-year-old Staten Island girl thrown down a trash chute scrambled to her rescue, sources said. Paul Martinka
Both of the girl’s parents rushed down to the first floor, where they heard their baby daughter crying in the chute, according to the sources.
The panicked mom and dad broke the door open and pulled their daughter from the chute nearly unscathed, the sources said.
She was taken to Richmond University Medical Center with scratches on her head, face and body, cops and sources said.
Luckily, the tot was hospitalized with only scratches. Paul Martinka
The uncle, described by relatives as autistic, was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation, sources said. Paul Martinka
Meanwhile, the uncle – who the family described as autistic – was hospitalized for a psychological evaluation, the sources said.
The child’s father said he’d never seen his brother act that way before, according to the sources.
The Staten Island DA’s Office was still gathering information on the case Tuesday to determine whether they will press charges, cops said.