Boy thrown from Mall of America balcony moved to rehab

Published 11:02 pm Friday, August 2, 2019

MINNEAPOLIS — The family of a 5-year-old boy who survived being thrown from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Minnesota in April said he finally has been moved out of intensive care and into a rehabilitation program.

The boy, identified only as Landen, has been at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis since he was thrown nearly 40 feet to the ground by a stranger.

The family said on their CaringBridge site that Landen is now in an inpatient program at another hospital. The family said Landen “is strong and his spirit remains vibrant.”

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The man who threw Landen, Emmanuel Aranda, pleaded guilty to attempted premeditated first-degree murder. He told investigators he went to the Bloomington mall “looking for someone to kill” after women had rejected his advances.