Police and county inspectors are investigating the fatal fall at a Cherry Hill Road high-rise.
COLLEGE PARK, MD — A young girl died Thursday night after falling from a high-rise apartment building in Prince George’s County, police said, prompting an investigation at a College Park complex where other children have fallen within the past year.
Officers responded around 9 p.m. May 7 to the 9300 block of Cherry Hill Road after a report that a child had fallen from an apartment building. Police said the child was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died. Authorities had not released her name, age or the cause of the fall as of Friday.
The fall was reported at the Seven Springs apartment complex, a group of high-rise buildings near Cherry Hill Road. Police said investigators were still trying to determine what happened before the child fell. A relative told Fox 5 that the girl was 4 years old and fell from a 10th-story bedroom window. NBC Washington reported that the child was 2 years old. Officials had not publicly resolved that difference by Friday afternoon.
Neighbors told Fox 5 that a window screen was found on the ground near the child after the fall. The child initially survived the fall but died later at the hospital, according to local reports. Police did not say whether anyone else was inside the apartment at the time, whether the window was open, or whether detectives had found signs of neglect or a crime. No charges or arrests had been announced.
The Prince George’s County Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement also opened a review. The agency said it was looking into Thursday’s death and two earlier falls at the same apartment complex. Officials told Fox 5 that the apartments were built in the late 1960s, when building codes were different from current standards. The department did not immediately announce any violations tied to the child’s death.
Thursday’s fall was the third reported incident involving a young child falling from a window or balcony at the complex in less than a year, according to Fox 5. In November, a 2-year-old fell from a sixth-floor window. In August, a 3-year-old fell from a balcony on the same floor. Both children survived those earlier falls. County officials said they are reviewing all three incidents as part of the current inquiry.
The cluster of cases has brought new attention to the older apartment property and to how high-rise windows and balconies are secured. Investigators have not said whether the three falls share the same cause or whether the apartments involved had similar window or balcony designs. Officials also have not said whether any repairs, inspections or enforcement actions followed the two earlier incidents.
Police said the investigation remained active Friday. Detectives were expected to review statements from witnesses, emergency response records and the apartment unit where the fall occurred. County inspectors were expected to examine whether the building’s windows, screens or other features met applicable rules. Any findings could shape whether the death remains classified as an accident or leads to further action.
Residents described a painful scene outside the building after emergency crews arrived. Neighbors who spoke to local reporters said people gathered near the tower as first responders treated the child and moved her from the property. Police did not release additional details about the family. The apartment complex remained under investigation while residents waited for answers about the latest fall.
As of Saturday, May 9, officials had not announced the child’s identity, a final cause of the fall or any charges. The next public update is expected to come from Prince George’s County police or county inspectors as their reviews continue.
Author note: Last updated May 9, 2026.