Assemblyman Stewart and Senator Timberlake Call for Strengthened Window Guard Protections Following Tragic Death of a Newark Toddler

TRENTON, NJ - The devastating death of a 2‑year‑old boy who fell from a 20th‑floor window at Elizabeth Towers in Newark this past November has shaken the community and underscored an urgent need for stronger safety protections in residential buildings. Assemblyman Kenyatta Stewart and State Senator Britnee Timberlake issued a statement expressing profound condolences to the family and calling for immediate legislative action to prevent similar tragedies by enacting legislation they wrote together.

The legislation, attached to the release, would strengthen New Jersey’s existing window guard law by expanding mandatory installation requirements in multi-unit residential buildings, increasing compliance and inspection standards, and requiring clearer notice to tenants about their right to request window guards. It would also ensure enhanced protections for households with young children and residents with physical or developmental disabilities, while establishing stronger accountability measures for property owners who fail to comply.

“No family should ever have to endure the unimaginable loss of a child,” said Assemblyman Stewart. “We have a responsibility not only to strengthen these safety protections but also to make sure parents and guardians know that they are available to them.”

“That grief demands action,” said Assemblyman Stewart. “It is time to strengthen our laws so that no parent, in any community, ever has to experience this kind of preventable loss again.”

“For too long, the burden has been placed on tenants to ask for basic protections. Protections that many families are unaware even exist,” continued Assemblyman Stewart. “At the end of the day, if a measure as simple as a window guard can save a life, then we must make sure it is in place before tragedy strikes.”

“This unimaginable loss is every parent’s worst fear,” said Senator Timberlake. “My heart breaks for this mother and the entire family who are now living through a level of pain no parent should ever endure. No family should lose a child because a window was faulty, improperly replaced, or left without the protections that should have been provided.”

As a mother of a 2‑year‑old at the time of the incident, Senator Timberlake emphasized that the tragedy resonated deeply causing her to "feel it in her bones."

“This was not something we could look away from or treat as an isolated failure,” she continued. “It was a call to revisit our window guard laws with sharper scrutiny, stronger enforcement, and expanded protections—especially for children and for residents with physical or developmental disabilities who face heightened vulnerability in their own homes.”

Senator Timberlake also highlighted the leadership of Assemblyman Kenyatta Stewart, the 1st prime sponsor in the Assembly, a father of young children who witnessed the grief of the Newark family firsthand.

Assemblyman Stewart and Senator Timberlake underscored that the forthcoming legislation will focus on expanding protections, improving compliance, and ensuring that building owners meet their obligations to safeguard residents.

“We owe it to this family, to every family, and to every child whose safety depends on us getting this right,” they said. “Expanding the window protections bill is not only necessary—it is urgent, it is moral, and it is long overdue.”