Friday was a tragic morning for a Brooklyn family whose baby was found burned and unresponsive after huge amounts of steam leaked into the child’s room.

Officials with the NYPD and Department of Buildings were on scene throughout the day, conducting a full inspection of the boiler and boiler room. The DOB officials also planned to inspect the apartment unit.


What You Need To Know

  • A Brooklyn family found their baby burned and unresponsive after huge amounts of steam leaked into the child’s room

  • Officials with the NYPD and Department of Buildings were on scene throughout the day, conducting a full inspection of the boiler and boiler room
  • The Department of Buildings has filed several complaints connected to the building since the child’s death

Officials, along with the grieving parents of the 11-month-old boy, are trying to figure out how the tragedy occurred.

“I cannot even imagine. I have kids and if something happened to my kids I would go crazy,” said Roman Kvaratshelia, who also lives in the building at 890 East 14th Street in Midwood.

Investigators said the radiator was leaking heavy amounts of steam into the baby’s room.

“I see them every day,” said Tabriz Negmatoe, another tenant. “I know they have a newborn baby. It’s horrible.”

Tenants in the building awoke to officials with the FDNY, NYPD and Department of Buildings at the scene.

“I came outside and saw a lot of police officers,” Negmatoe said. “I didn’t know what was going on. Horrible.”

After receiving a call just after 6 a.m., first responders arrived to find the infant burned and unresponsive. They rushed him and the family to Maimonides Midwood community hospital where he was pronounced dead just an hour later.

“Oh, don’t tell me, I’m heartbroken, heartbroken,” said neighbor Chayala Davis.

Police said the mother was feeding her other child in another room when this happened and, at this point, no criminality is suspected.

The Department of Buildings has filed several complaints connected to the building since the child’s death. One had to do with a faulty radiator causing steam to fill a bedroom, another had to do with a boiler that’s either defective or without a permit and a third complaint for an illegal laundry room in the basement.

“It’s such a tragedy. I don’t know how a parent can overcome it,” Kvaratshelia said.

The buildings department said, prior to Friday’s incident, there were no recent complaints or DOB-issued violations for the property. However, since the incident, the department issued “Work Without a Permit” and “Failure to Maintain the Building” violations.

NY1 reached out to the landlord of the building but has not heard back yet.

A similar tragedy happened in 2016 in the Bronx when two children were killed after a steam pipe burst in an apartment unit. That building was used by the city to house homeless families.