A sign at the Mall of America, the largest in the United States, is seen at Minnesota, Minn. in a 2006 file photo. (Tim Gans/AFP/Getty Images)

Boy Thrown From Mall of America Balcony Returns Home After Spending 5 Months in Hospital

The boy who was thrown from the third-floor balcony at Mall of America is settling back into life at home five months after the incident.

Family members of Landen Hoffman, 5, confirmed he is back at home after Emmanuel Aranda, 24, confessed to throwing the child off the balcony at the Mall of America, 10 miles south of downtown Minneapolis.

“Here is some great news to share from Landen’s family: We are pleased to share that our son completed his inpatient rehabilitation and is now home,” fundraising organizer Noah Hanneman said on GoFundMe. “We are so thankful, and we rejoice in the Lord’s blessings to our family.”

The Associated Press reported that Hoffman had more than 15 surgical procedures after he suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, facial and skull fractures, and injuries to his spleen from hitting the ground from nearly 40 feet above on April 12.

The family is praying for Landen’s full recovery.

“We continue to ask that his healing powers guide us and our son’s care team as we enter the next phase of recovery, which includes continued outpatient rehabilitation for multiple injuries and adjusting to life back at home and school,” Hanneman said.

Sympathy and Support

The family received an outpouring of sympathy and support since the tragedy, raising more than $1 million to help cover “immense” medical and recovery expenses needed for Landen to return to a normal life.

“Thank you to all of you who prayed for us and loved us during the past 4.5 months,” Hanneman said. “We know there is great interest in our son and our story. We respectfully ask that you allow us time and continued privacy during this great transition.”

Aranda previously confessed that he was “looking for someone to kill” after women had rejected his advances, so he randomly tossed Hoffman off the mall’s third-floor balcony back on April 12, according to AP.

Hennepin County District Court sentenced him to 19 years in jail for attempted premeditated first-degree murder, and Aranda filed a notice to appeal his case before the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

The family has already forgiven Aranda for hurting Hoffman, and said he failed to remove the joy in their lives.

“I want you to know I forgive you, not because what you did was okay, not because I want to, but because God wants me to,” the mother said, according to the family’s impact statement on GoFundMe. “I’m not letting you take any part of our family, you’re not taking our love, our joy, our peace … I refuse to be full of anger and hatred, I refuse to let you take my joy.”

The family also holds no resentment towards Aranda.

“Holding hate only harms me and I will not allow that,” the father said, according to the impact statement.

The boy will require outpatient rehabilitation for multiple injuries, according to AP.