Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Mother Of Girl Who Fell Off Air Conditioner Had Kids Taken Away In March
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 18, 2012
Modified Jul 18, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 18, 2012
Modified Jul 18, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
There's a dark thread to the heartwarming story of the off-duty MTA bus driver who reached out and caught a 7-year-old girl who fell off a third-floor air conditioning unit in Coney Island Monday. (See the amazing video below.) Obviously, questions are being raised about just how the girl, who is autistic, wound up on the A.C. unit anyway. After finding out a little more about her home life, the incident doesn't seem too surprising.
The girl's mother, Shaleema McCree, has been cited three times by the Administration for Children’s Services for "educational neglect," which usually means failing to send children to school. And a source tells the Daily News the children "were removed from the home on March 5 after McCree’s 15-year-old son stabbed himself in the back at school and said the devil told him to do it." A family court judge allowed the children to return to the home two weeks later over the objections of ACS workers.
Steven St. Bernard, the bus driver who caught the girl, tearing a tendon in the process, has been rightfully hailed a hero by the daily tabloids. (The Daily News is giving him "a Hometown Heroes in Transit Award," and the Post calls him a "lifesaver in action.") But St. Bernard says, "I’m not a hero — anybody would have done it. I did it out of normal instincts." Which is exactly what we tell people whenever we rinse out our beer bottles before putting them in the recycling bin.
Last night St. Bernard met with McCree, who thanked him profusely. Her daughter survived with minor injuries, but she's under investigation by ACS. It's still unclear how the girl ended up out on the air conditioner, but witnesses tell CBS 2, "The little girl apparently pulled back an accordion-style partition that is supposed to be secured to the window. She slipped through the gap and climbed on top of the window unit."
Tagged
coney island
MTA
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Forest Hills Stadium can keep its concerts under deal with neighbors
Neighbors had complained of traffic and loud concerts for years.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 2:49 p.m. ET
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
NYC Council to grill Mamdani officials on collapsed Hunts Point Produce Market deal
Council Speaker Julie Menin called the $650 million plan "mission critical."
By
Elizabeth Kim
NYPD arrests 17-year-old in fatal Midtown subway platform shooting
By
Charles Lane
Ex-Adams aide accused of pocketing kickbacks from community program funds
By
Samantha Max
MTA to begin 6-year project to upgrade signal tech on A and C lines in Brooklyn and Queens
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .