A father in Japan has been arrested after allegedly throwing his two young daughters from a sixth-floor apartment balcony during a frightening domestic incident that was partially captured on nearby security cameras.
Tomokazu Miura, 25, was taken into custody early Saturday, Sept. 26, in Kakamigahara City, Gifu Prefecture, on suspicion of attempted murder.
Authorities say the girls, ages 4 and 1, fell from the balcony of the family’s sixth-floor apartment around 4:20 a.m.
Miraculously, both children survived.
Emergency crews had placed mats below the building before the fall, and the girls landed on them. Both were conscious when they were taken to the hospital, and their injuries were believed to be non-life-threatening.
The terrifying incident reportedly began hours earlier.
Around 11:30 p.m. Friday, Miura’s wife called police during an argument and told authorities that he had grabbed her arm.
Officers responded to the apartment and spoke with the woman outside.
Miura, however, allegedly refused to cooperate and locked himself inside the apartment with the children.
Police remained at the scene as the situation escalated.
Investigators believe Miura threw the girls from the balcony as officers were preparing to enter the apartment.
Nearby surveillance cameras captured the horrifying moment, showing two blurred figures falling from the building.
Because emergency crews had already prepared for the possibility of someone falling, rescue mats were positioned below the apartment.
That preparation may have saved both girls’ lives.
Miura was arrested after the incident.
Japanese reports said he remained silent during questioning.
One nearby resident who said they witnessed police taking Miura away claimed the father said that he had intended to die with the children.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed that statement.
The exact circumstances leading up to the alleged act remain under investigation.
Police are also continuing to examine the domestic dispute that happened earlier in the night and what took place inside the apartment before the children fell.
The case is especially shocking because of how young the victims are and how close the incident came to becoming a double tragedy.
