Toddler dies after fall from ninth-floor window in St. Paul

Scene of the toddler's fall
Skyline Towers is a 24-story housing development in St. Paul, along Interstate 94, just west of Lexington Parkway.
MPR Photo/Tim Nelson

Authorities in St. Paul are investigating a fall from a high-rise apartment building that killed an infant on Tuesday night.

Police say that 11-month-old Ilhan Hassan fell from a ninth-floor window about 7:20 p.m. and landed on the ground next to the 24-story building. The girl was taken to Regions Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Police are still investigating the death, but believe it to be an accident. Hassan was one of several children playing on a bed near a window before she died. The police report indicates that several adults were in the apartment at the time of the fall.

"They're still trying to piece together exactly what events led up to this, but at this point it appears to be an accident," said John Keating, a spokesman for the St. Paul Police Department.

Keating said it wasn't known Tuesday night if the girl lived in the building or nearby. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a torn screen visible in one of the building's windows after the accident happened. Keating said the incident remains under investigation.

The Skyline Towers building is located on the north side of Interstate 94 just west of Lexington Parkway, at 1247 St. Anthony Ave. St. Paul.