Alert postal worker catches falling tot

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jill Bryce

A U.S. Postal Service worker is credited with breaking the fall of a 1-year-old girl Monday, catching her in her arms after the child fell from an open second-story window.

“I feel really good I was at the right place and the right time,” said Lisa Harrell of Cohoes, who has worked as a postal carrier for 14 years. “I believe I may have saved the baby’s life.”

The incident occurred at 11 a.m. when Harrell was delivering a package to 306 Second St. She had an express parcel and had to deviate from her regular route.

“I was ringing the bell, ringing the bell when I noticed the upstairs window open. Then I saw the baby. Next thing you know I caught the baby in my arms,” said Harrell.

Everything happened within seconds and, before she knew it, the baby was screaming in her arms.

The child’s mother, Brenda Morales, ran outside screaming: “My baby! My baby!” She realized the window was open and her baby was gone, Harrell said.

Morales grabbed the baby from Harrell and ran up the street to a relative’s house.

Police were called to the scene by the Postal Service and spoke with Harrell, who described what happened.

Children and Family Services investigators waited at the house until Morales and the child returned around 12:20 p.m. Morales told them she was upstairs in the room with her baby and had put the baby on the bed, which was up against the window, said Detective James Miller, spokesman for the city’s Department of Public Safety .

She was taking care of something in the room and had her back turned when the baby apparently crawled through the opening in the window and fell, hitting Harrell, said Miller.

Morales said she was startled at what happened and grabbed her child from Harrell and ran to her mother’s house up the street.

Paramedics checked the baby at the scene but found no injuries.

No charges are being filed against the mother.

Harrell said Morales thanked her and today she’ll be back on her route and will stop at 306 Second St.

Morales could not be reached to comment.

“Nationally we hear hero stories every day about postal carriers. The postal carriers are the eyes and ears of the community. They notice when something isn’t right at a residence or in a neighborhood,” said Linda Moak, spokeswoman at the U.S. Postal Service in Albany.

Moak said she didn’t know if there would be a reward or commendation for Harrell.

“I’m very proud of my mother,” said Harrell’s 23-year-old son, Jason. “She was on her job delivering mail and caught the baby and may have saved her life.”