A woman holding a baby boy fell eight storeys out of a New York City apartment window to her death in an apparent suicide, but the baby survived, police said Wednesday.

Police found 45-year-old Cynthia Wachenheim with the baby Keston in her arms. An officer took the baby to a hospital, where he was listed in critical but stable condition. The baby is 10 months old.

Wachenheim was pronounced dead at the scene. A seven-page suicide note was found inside the apartment, under the bed. The window was open, and there were no signs of struggle inside. There were no safety bars on the windows.

Area resident Steven Dominguez, 18, was walking to a grocery store with his mother when he saw the woman fall.

"I heard a scream like a yell," Dominguez said. "When I got closer, I saw the baby crying."

He said the baby was face down.

"I was shocked," he said. "I couldn't believe it."

He said his mother went to pick up the baby, but an emergency responder told her to stand back.