A dizzying height: This view is from the terrace where Johnson fell. (thomas e. gaston)
Co-Op City bosses didn’t move fast enough to seal off terraces in a building where a 4-year-old boy plunged 23 stories to his death, angry residents charged yesterday.
Malachi Johnson’s tragic death came exactly one month after the city Buildings Department banned use of the balconies at 140 DeKruif Place in the giant Bronx housing development.
While an order to stop using the balconies was issued a month ago, it wasn’t until June 4 that the management company, RiverBay Corp., ordered residents to clear off the balconies. The deadline was last Sunday.
“Urgent notice to all co-operators with balconies,” read the group’s letter. “Remove all items no later than June 6 . . . For safety purposes, your terrace doors will be sealed from the outside once work starts until it’s finished.”
“If everything was sealed by last Monday, this wouldn’t have happened,” said Audrey Parks, 46, who lives in Malachi’s building.
“You can look at [the terraces] and see the condition, the rust,” she added. “The concrete is cracked — and they send this around last minute and tell us to clear the terrace.”
Yesterday, Malachi’s heartbroken grandmother, Vergie Shields, said her grandson was “a sweet kid [who] liked to talk about basketball and football. I loved him very much. I will miss his smile.”
The boy’s parents, who also have two daughters, remain in shock.
“It’s hard to understand, but we’re all taking it day by day,” Shields said. “They both love their children very much. They were their first priorities.”
Malachi, who would’ve turned 5 next month, apparently pushed a chair to the balcony’s railing and tumbled over shortly after 7 p.m. Friday.
A spokesman for RiverBay could not be reached.
A Department of Buildings spokesman said inspectors examined the balcony after the horrific accident and found no structural concerns.
Additional reporting by Kirsten Fleming