FORDHAM HEIGHTS — A 6-month-old girl was killed after her mother screamed, "We are all going to die" and dropped her from the family's sixth-floor apartment Thursday afternoon, police and neighbors said.
Tenisha Fearon, 27, who has three other children, was taken into police custody in her home at 2200 Tiebout Ave., near East 182nd Street, and charged with murder after EMS arrived just before 2 p.m. and took Jahnyla Lawrence to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
A neighbor, who lives in an adjacent building and wished to remain anonymous, said she heard Fearon fight with her boyfriend throughout Thursday morning. At one point Fearon screamed, "Stop f---ing putting your hands on me," according to the neighbor.
"At about 1:30 this afternoon I paused my TV because I heard more noises," the neighbor said. "I went up to my window and saw her breaking up pieces of a bed frame and throwing them out the window."
A few minutes later, the neighbor saw Fearon hold Lawrence outside the window with outstretched arms.
"The baby was crying. She held her by the underarms and I was yelling at her, 'Relax, relax! Calm down!' A few seconds later, she just dropped the baby. (The baby) hit a tree and then hit the ground," the neighbor said.
"The baby was still, only her left leg was shaking. It jerked three or four times and then stopped," the neighbor said.
According to the neighbor, Fearon then yelled "Freedom!" and went quiet.
After Fearon dropped the baby, "she went blank. No anger, no hurt, nothing. She was walking back and forth to the window," the neighbor said.
Going up on the roof to get a better view, the neighbor saw police climbing down the fire escape, trying to force their way into the apartment through the window.
Fearon's other children were also inside the apartment, said the neighbor who did not see any sign of the boyfriend.
"We are currently investigating the circumstances that led to this tragic incident and are actively working to ensure the wellbeing of the three remaining children in this household," said Christopher McKniff, a spokesman for the Administration of Child's Service.
Another neighbor, Lizette Rodriguez, 48, said she heard screams coming from the mother's apartment starting Wednesday night and continuing through Thursday afternoon.
"I heard [the baby's mother] saying, ‘We are all going to do die! I’m going to throw her, I’m going to throw the baby! We are all going to die,'" she said. "They were screaming at her, 'Don't do it! Don't do it!'"
“She’s normally quiet,” Rodriguez said about Fearon, adding that she was the "last person" you would ever expect to hurt her baby.
Rodriguez's husband, Jose Amador, 50, said he saw the infant laying naked, face down on the ground.
"It broke my heart because it made me think about my grandsons, I have two, they're young," Amador said. "I cried. It's extremely sad."
A nearby store owner said Fearon was "very friendly" and added that he never saw her physically abuse or yell at her children.
"I see her every day passing by." Carlos Reyes said. "Those kids are always running, laughing, smiling."
Thursday's incident came about three weeks after another mom threw her newborn daughter from a seventh-floor bathroom window.
That mother, Jennifer Berry, was charged with murder. She's due back in court on Oct. 27, records show.
— With reporting by Aidan Gardiner, Ben Fractenberg, Eddie Small, Sybile Penhirin and Anton K. Nilsson
Note: The victim's name has been updated to reflect the most recent spelling given by authorities.
