Body is found in hunt for five-year-old boy who plunged into the Harlem River while climbing a tree

 

  • Body has been recovered in search for missing 5-year-old, Brendan Mitchell
  • 'It's probably the 5-year-old,' a police spokesman said. 'It's looking more and more like this is the kid' 
  • Brendan had fallen into the river on Saturday while playing with his siblings 
  • Witnesses said the boy fell into the Harlem River and vanished before distressed parents could reach him 

A body has been found in the hunt for a five-year-old boy who plunged into the Harlem River while climbing a tree. 

Brendan Mitchell had fallen into the river on Saturday while playing with his siblings near the shoreline, sparking a desperate search. 

'It's probably the 5-year-old,' a police spokesman said on Tuesday. 'It's looking more and more like this is the kid.'

Police say the body was found at around 11.30am near a loading dock. 

A body has been found in the hunt for a five-year-old boy who plunged into the Harlem River while climbing a tree. Pictured: Divers search the Harlem River on Saturday

A body has been found in the hunt for a five-year-old boy who plunged into the Harlem River while climbing a tree. Pictured: Divers search the Harlem River on Saturday

Brendan Mitchell had fallen into the river on Saturday while playing with his siblings near the shoreline, sparking a desperate search (pictured)

Brendan Mitchell had fallen into the river on Saturday while playing with his siblings near the shoreline, sparking a desperate search (pictured)  

The incident happened in New York City at Randall's Island (pictured) around 2.40pm on Saturday

The incident happened in New York City at Randall's Island (pictured) around 2.40pm on Saturday

Investigators are working to confirm the identity of the body, a spokesperson said. 

The US Coast Guard Tri-State, NYPD and FDNY partnered in the search for the boy. 

The United States Coast Guard Tri-State confirmed on Saturday evening that they were looking for a young boy who vanished near the shoreline of Randall's Island. 

The search had been taken over by the NYPD, who were on the scene Saturday evening but left.

A New York Police Department spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the child was last seen around 2.30pm as he played with his siblings by the shoreline rocks.

Pictured: Helicopters and boat crews were at the scene on Saturday as they searched for the missing child. Police say they have now found a boy in connection with the incident

Pictured: Helicopters and boat crews were at the scene on Saturday as they searched for the missing child. Police say they have now found a boy in connection with the incident 

Sources told New York Post that the child was climbing a tree at Randall's Island near the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge at the time.   

Luis Ramos was coaching children playing soccer when the incident happened. He said that the child's arm was briefly visible in the water as parents frantically combed the area.

'The parents jumped in, that’s why they’re wet. They jumped in to look for him. A couple of other parents jumped in too. The thing is it’s so dark you can’t see anything in the water,' Ramos told NY Post.

'I heard the parents going: "Over there! Over there!"' he said. 'I saw a little arm out of the water, that was it. The last thing I saw was an arm sticking out.'

Pictured: FDNY personnel watch on at Randall's Island as the search continued throughout the evening

Pictured: FDNY personnel watch on at Randall's Island as the search continued throughout the evening

Rosa Mencia: 'The boy — he went right down. People ran into the water, and they couldn’t get him. They were crying'

Rosa Mencia: 'The boy — he went right down. People ran into the water, and they couldn’t get him. They were crying'

Ramos said that the child and his family were playing at Randall's Island when he thinks they approached the water. 

'Everybody was just playing around and I guess they went to the side of the water and something must of happened,' said Ramos.

Rosa Mencia, a local who was at Randall's Island with her family, told New York Daily News a similar account and said she saw the young boy running towards the water.

'The family were in the field with the children and many children were playing soccer,' she said. 'Then one child was running, just running to the water.


Parents and a group of children practicing soccer were at Randall's Island when the horrific accident occurred

Parents and a group of children practicing soccer were at Randall's Island when the horrific accident occurred 

The United States Coast Guard Tri-State, the New York Police Department and New York City Fire Department were partnered in the search. Pictured: Medical staff attends to a woman at Randall's Island

The United States Coast Guard Tri-State, the New York Police Department and New York City Fire Department were partnered in the search. Pictured: Medical staff attends to a woman at Randall's Island

'The boy — he went right down. People ran into the water, and they couldn’t get him. They were crying.

'I looked at the father and he threw himself to the floor. He was crying.'

Karim Hutson, another witness, told NYDN that nearby witnesses dashed over to help in the search after the boy disappeared.

'I saw a bunch of people running towards the water and people started stripping. Immediately everybody started looking to try and see if they can find the kid,' said Hutson.

'There was about four or five folks in the water and I guess 10 or so people running around the shore trying to see if they can locate the kid and they just couldn’t find him... Everybody was trying to see what they can do.

Hutson added that the incident was 'tragic' and 'Honestly, there’s so much litter in the water it’s hard to see.'  

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