Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: (X) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Support
Purpose: Resolution Supporting “Sebastien’s Law” for Window Guards
Date: July 1, 2026
Sponsor: Council Member, Amina Bey
Additional Information:
body
WHEREAS, New Jersey Window Guard Assembly Bill (A1390) - “Sebastien’s Law” would change the current law regarding child-protection window guard installation from and opt-in policy, in which a tenant is required to request that window guards be installed, to an opt-out policy where window guards are required to be installed unless the tenant specifically waives the requirement; and
WHEREAS, Falls from windows are a leading cause of injury and/or death among young children and the National Association for Child Window Safety reports that children living in apartment buildings have five times the risk of window falls compared to other housing types; and
WHEREAS, According to SafeKids Worldwide, and average of eight (8) children age five (5) and younger die and more than three-thousand three-hundred (3,300) are injured each year from falling out of windows; and
WHEREAS, A two-year old Newark toddler died on November 15, 2025 after falling from a window on the twentieth floor of the Elizabeth Towers apartment building at 455 Elizabeth Avenue, Newark;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
The Municipal Council Members of the City of Newark support the New Jersey Assembly Bill (A1390) - “Sebastien’s Law”.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Municipal Clerk shall immediately cause a copy of this Resolution to be delivered to each elected member of the New Jersey State Legislature and each elected member of the United States Congress representing the City of Newark.
STATEMENT
Resolution supporting the Window Guard Assembly Bill (A1390) named after seven-year old Sebastien Manzalaoui who died from falling out of a window in a high-rise apartment building.