Police said the child was awake and alert after the third-floor fall Thursday morning.
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL — An 8-year-old girl was airlifted to a Broward County trauma center Thursday morning after falling from the third floor of an apartment building in North Miami Beach, first responders and police said.
The fall brought police officers, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews and an air rescue helicopter to the 2100 block of Northeast 169th Street, where neighbors gathered near the apartment complex as the child was treated. Police said no foul play was suspected, but the case remained under investigation as officials worked to determine how the fall happened.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue received a report of a child who had taken what first responders described as a “long fall” from a building in the 2150 block of Northeast 169th Street. Emergency crews arrived shortly after the call and found the girl injured outside the apartment building. North Miami Beach police said the child was “alert and conscious” before she was placed in an air rescue helicopter and flown for treatment. A parent was at the scene, police said. Authorities did not release the child’s name.
Aerial video from the scene showed police and rescue crews at the apartment complex shortly before 9:40 a.m. Thursday. Witnesses said the girl landed on grass outside the building. Cellphone video showed several people gathered around her as they appeared to help before first responders arrived. Rescue crews moved the child to a nearby park, where the helicopter landed. From there, paramedics flew her to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, a pediatric trauma center in South Broward County.
The child’s exact condition was not released Thursday afternoon. Police said she was awake and alert during transport, but officials did not say what injuries she suffered. Investigators also did not say whether the girl fell from a balcony, window, walkway or another part of the building. The initial emergency call described a 7-year-old child falling from an apartment building, but later reporting from first responders identified the girl as 8 years old.
The response unfolded in a busy residential area of North Miami Beach, near Northeast 169th Street and apartment buildings east of Biscayne Boulevard. Officers were seen moving in and out of the complex as investigators focused on an area near the ground outside the building. A pink tarp was visible at the scene as police spoke with people at the property. Officials did not announce any evacuation, building closure or structural hazard connected to the fall.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Air Rescue Bureau provides medical transport and other emergency support across the county and to local agencies. In this case, firefighters and paramedics requested the helicopter after reaching the girl at the apartment complex. Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital treats pediatric trauma cases in Hollywood, north of the scene. The airlift signaled that responders wanted the child moved quickly to specialized care after the fall.
Police said the child’s parent was present when officers and rescue workers responded. No arrests were announced, and no charges had been filed as of the latest update. Investigators were expected to continue reviewing the scene, speaking with witnesses and checking what part of the third floor the child fell from. Officials did not say whether any city building inspectors or child welfare investigators had been called to assist.
Neighbors and bystanders gathered near the girl as they waited for emergency crews. Video from the scene showed the child on the ground as people stayed close to her before paramedics took over. Police later described the case as an active investigation, with the most important unanswered questions centered on the child’s injuries and the circumstances of the fall.
The girl remained hospitalized Thursday after being flown to Hollywood. North Miami Beach police said no foul play was suspected, and authorities had not released another briefing time or the next expected update.
Author note: Last updated July 9, 2026.