A 2-year-old girl has died after being struck on the head by pieces of brick that fell from the eighth floor of an Upper West Side building Sunday, police said.
The little girl, Greta Greene, was sitting next to her grandmother on a bench on West End Avenue near 74th Street around 11 a.m. when they were both struck by pieces of brick that fell from a window ledge, a source familiar with the investigation said.
Greta was initially unresponsive, but a nurse who happened to be in the area performed CPR and the child regained consciousness, authorities said.
EMS responded and transported the child and the grandmother to Cornell Hospital, where she was initially listed in serious but stable condition, police said.
She died Monday after being taken off life support, according to police.
The grandmother, Susan Fierson, was treated for minor injuries to her arm and leg.
The Department of Buildings issued a violation to the building owner for failure to maintain the facade of the structure after the incident.
The building houses The Esplanade Manhattan, which bills itself as a "luxury senior residence," according to its website.
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In a statement Monday, the Scharf family — who owns The Esplanade Manhattan — said it was "heartbroken by this tragedy"
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Greta Greene's family. We are fully cooperating with city emergency response agencies and the Department of Buildings to determine the cause of this horrible incident and to safeguard the public," the statement said.
A small memorial stood Monday night on the sidewalk where Greta was hit.
"The most innocent of moments, and then boom. It's a heartbreaker," said neighbor Konstantin Vilenchitz.
The department said there had been no recent complaints about the building's condition. The last time the structure was inspected was in 2011, when it was deemed safe.
