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Nail-biting moment police rescue two toddlers from a second-storey ledge after their 'hallucinating' mother dragged them up there

This is the moment two toddlers were rescued from a second-storey ledge after their "hallucinating" mother had dragged them out there.

Several people called 911 on Saturday to report that a woman and two children, a one-year-old boy and three-year-old girl, were perched on a narrow ledge 15 to 20 feet above the ground in Delray Beach, Florida.

Body cam footage released by Delray Beach Police Department showed the woman - who neighbours claimed was high on the hallucinogenic drug Molly - refusing to listen to officers as they attempted to bring her and the children back to safety.

According to a statement released by police, they arrived at the townhouse just after 4pm (local time) on May 19 to find the woman "acting erratically" on the ledge over the garage.

Body cam footage showed the woman perched on the ledge with two children
Body cam footage showed the woman perched on the ledge with two children

Officer Rob Addea positioned himself under the window, ready to catch a child or the woman if necessary, while pleading with her to get the children off the narrow, rain-soaked ledge.

In the footage he is heard saying: "Just get the kids back inside. Please. Please. That’s all we want you to do.”

At the same time, two officers went in through the front door, up to the second floor, through a bedroom and out the window onto the ledge.

Worried that the children would fall or be pushed, one officer, sergeant Mike Debree, got hold of each child's arm.

Neighbours claimed the woman was on drugs
Neighbours claimed the woman was on drugs

Another tried to reason with the "agitated and seemingly paranoid" young woman, police said.

Meanwhile other officers were able to open the window of the house next door, and Sgt Debree walked the frightened children several feet along the ledge and handed them through the window to the waiting officers.

The woman was then lifted through a window to safety.

She was committed to a mental health facility under Florida’s Baker Act, police said.

Florida’s Department of Children and Families is conducting an investigation and has taken custody of the children. The woman may face criminal charges once released.

Delray Beach Police Department wrote in a statement posted on Facebook: "DBPD officers stepped into a precarious situation after multiple people called 911 to report that a woman and two children were on a roof.

"Officers arrived just after 4pm Saturday, May 19 and quickly became aware of the frightening scenario they faced.

"A 23-year-old woman, acting erratically and refusing to listen to officers’ commands, was perched on a narrow ledge over the garage of a townhouse about 15-20-feet above the ground. A 1-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl stood with her.

"She was committed to a mental health facility under Florida’s Baker Act.

"She may face criminal charges once released. Florida’s Department of Children and Families is conducting an investigation and has taken custody of the children."