Child Dies After Being Thrown From Queens Balcony

(WCBS 2)

Last night, a two-year-old child was thrown from a seventh floor balcony in Flushing, Queens, landing on the cement sidewalk. Jerry Zhou, who would have turned three in a few weeks, was pronounced dead at New York Hospital Queens, and a 53-year-old woman who was living with his family and was described by authorities as depressed was taken into custody.

According to WCBS 2, Xiao Cai had been arguing with her daughter when she suddenly grabbed the boy and tossed him from the balcony. Queens DA Richard Brown said, “She attempted thereafter to throw herself off but was pulled off by other people in the apartment. The woman is not related to the baby in any way. It is just a sad and tragic incident." Neighbors say the boy's mother ran down the building's stairs and was later holding the boy's body on the sidewalk, wailing his name. A passerby also tried to administer first aid.

Cai, who was also on medication, is undergoing psychiatric evaluation and faces murder charges. A relative of Cai's told the Daily News, "She's a crazy person. We don't know why she did this."

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By Jen Chung in News on November 3, 2010 8:30 AM

Comments [rss]

mkbjon

My God, how awful. Reading this absolutely terrifies me because I started to imagine myself in her place. Even thinking about it is more than I can bear; being trapped in a surrealistic nightmare, desperately wanting to wake up, and so consumed by grief that you can't see the people around you--not even the murdering monster standing right beside you. My heart breaks for her--that is an unbelievably cruel hand to be dealt.

Clarice City

How about being a two year old being thown off a roof? Wonder what that was like for him. You suck.

Rocknrope

Pity she didn't reverse her sequence.

thatsomeoneisme

+ 1 if only all murder-suicides could start with the suicide first.

Guest

Why did they stop her from jumping? If I had just seen her throw a baby off the balcony and then saw her trying to follow, I would have been clapping as she plunged to her death.

Cannibal

I would have pushed her

Clarice City

Followed by an AC unit and a fridge to make sure the job was finished.

ides_of_march

This makes me feel sick.

Poor child, rest in peace.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Sickening.

Splicer

Don't let crazy people in your home no matter how generous you are.

schadenfreudian mensch

Especially when they don't like taking their meds.

PKinNYC

someone needs to throw that crazy bitch off a balcony

MM1102

It is very sad. My sister and i were also passersby and it was a scene that people were not prepared to encounter. A child never ever deserves to leave this earth in that form. When we arrived at the scene Xiao Cai was present, trying to calm the mother who was hysterical. No one knew who this lady was (murderer) she looked like the grandmother or relative of this child. The poor mother was beside her child screaming completely incapable of mentioning what really happened. My sister and i tried to help since no one else except for one dark-skinned boy (no racial intent) holding the boys head under a shirt or towel, MAY GOD BLESS HIM, he was doing great. I think people there were so surprised and scared that they just couldn’t do anything but we had to, my sister (aspiring nurse) tried keeping ppl back so that EMT can arrive to a clear area. They actually listened. As more people should. She then tried helping the mother who looked to be having a mental break down, poor lady. But there was nothing anyone could do. EMT then kicked all of us off the street. People reading this, please please if GOD FORBID something like this was to ever happen to you, it is understood that you will most likely be distraught and unable to communicate what happened or anything at all, but it is so important to try and get a few words out to the people around bcs had we known she was also being consoled by the woman that killed her son, I personally would have not allowed it. I would have forced her, yes physically, away from the grieving mother.

If the dark-skinned boy (again no racial intent) is reading this, god bless you, for you have done something very noble: trying to help a dieing child. Realistically, many people can not bear that position.