Boy, 5, tossed from Mall of America balcony home from hospital
5-year-old tossed from Mall of America balcony home from hospital.
The then-5-year-old boy who was thrown from a third-floor balcony of the Mall of America survived because "angels caught him," his mother said in a new interview sharing her family’s story of recovery.
Landen Hoffman, now 8, was hospitalized with two broken arms, a broken leg and fractures to his face and skull when Emmanuel Aranda, 24, tossed him about 40 feet during a random attack at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, on April 12, 2019.
The child was forced to undergo 15 separate medical procedures and surgeries due to the injuries and "severe complications," according to his mother. He returned home months later.
Landen’s mother, Kari Hoffman, told ABC’s "Good Morning America" on Wednesday that it has been difficult to speak about the horror of that day, but said now is the right time to share her son’s "miracle" story of surviving and healing.
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Landen Hoffman, the 5-year-old boy who was thrown nearly 40 feet from the third story balcony at the Mall of America. (Christian Broadcasting Service)
"Angels caught him, there's no denying it," Kari Hoffman said. "Yes, he had injuries, and we had to live through all of this pain to get to the end. But sometimes God allows us to go through things to teach us something."
Hoffman said she had taken Landen to the mall to celebrate following a parent-teacher conference. They were standing outside the Rainforest Café on the third floor when the unimaginable happened.
"He snatched [Landen] and ran," Hoffman said of Aranda. "And I was just frozen … It happened so fast. I screamed, 'No!' after he was already thrown."
The boy’s doctors said it was a miracle that he survived, according to Hoffman.
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Aranda was sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder in June 2019. He had told investigators he decided to hurt the child after going to the mall looking for someone to kill.
Aranda was sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder in June 2019. (Bloomington Police Department via AP, File)
Hoffman said that she chose to forgive Aranda because she "needed to remove him from my mind" and focus on healing Landen.
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"It's a decision that you have to make so that God can do what he needs to do in your life ... and that was to save Landen," Hoffman said about her decision to forgive.
Despite his significant injuries, Landen's mother said that her son can "have the life he wants to have." He currently plays hockey and will turn 9 in January.
The Hoffman family and Mall of America reached a settlement in a negligence lawsuit last week and have agreed to work together on improving safety measures at the mall, FOX9 Minneapolis reported.
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