Child hurt after falling from balcony in Zutphen; Mother taken into custody

A 5-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital on Sunday evening after falling from a balcony of an apartment building in Zutphen, the police said on X. Local media reported that the child’s mother was taken into custody.

According to reporters at the scene, the child fell from a fifth-floor balcony of the apartment building on Van Drinenstraat and landed on a grass field behind the seven-floor apartment building.

Emergency services responded in large numbers, including a trauma helicopter, several ambulances, and multiple police cars. First responders stabilized the child at the scene and rushed him to a nearby hospital in unknown condition. A police escort accompanied the ambulance, according to NOS.

The police spent hours investigating on the field. Many people watched from the street in front of the apartment building, De Stentor reported.

“We are currently investigating the cause and are also looking into whether a criminal offense may have been involved,” the police said on X.

Police officers spoke to neighbors and other locals. Immediately after the incident, neighbors took care of the child’s mother. The police are looking to speak to these neighbors specifically, a spokesperson told De Stentor.

The police also offered victim support for everyone who witnessed the incident.

One witness was attending a friend’s birthday party right above the balcony from which the boy fell. “We heard the woman below us screaming loudly. It clearly sounded like a woman who was in distress,” she told De Stentor.

There have been many incidents involving children getting hurt when falling from windows or balconies this summer. In August, two 1-year-old children died in separate incidents in Rotterdam and Helmond. Children were also injured in Spijkenisse, in the Friesland town of Jubbega, and in Rotterdam, among others.