Victoria Moreno, 34, was taken into custody Monday night and was later charged after cops say she is accused of pushing the boy into the water and not attempting to rescue him around 1 p.m. Monday, according to reports.
An Illinois woman has been charged with attempted murder after cops say she pushed her 3-year-old nephew into the water off Chicago’s Navy Pier Monday afternoon, Fox 32 reported.
Victoria Moreno, 34, was taken into custody Monday night and was later charged after cops allege she pushed the boy into the water and did not attempt to rescue him, according to reports.
The boy has been left in critical condition, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
According to the police report, Moreno initially told responding officers that she was only a witness to the incident, then claimed she was holding the boy’s shirt and allegedly let go because he “was acting up,” the Chicago Sun Times reported.
A witness named Ashton King told the Chicago Sun Times that she heard a splash and tried to get a floatation device in the water to rescue the child and that the relative did not attempt to help at all.
“He was ... floating on his back and just looking up at the sky, his head was the only thing that was bobbing above the water,” King told the Sun-Times. “By the time we had thrown [a life preserver] in, he had already gone under.”
“Your first instinct is to jump in, jump in and save them,” King added.
The Chicago Sun Times says a source with knowledge of the investigation claimed that surveillance video shows the relative pushing the child toward the edge of the pier and tossing him into the water.
The child went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to nearby Lurie Children’s Hospital, police reportedly said.
The child had been in the care of his grandmother Monday when his aunt took him from the home when the grandmother briefly went upstairs, according to authorities, The Independent reported.
“Navy Pier is deeply saddened to learn about the injury of a child pulled from the water this afternoon. We are working very closely with the Chicago Police Department as they investigate the incident. Our hearts are with the child and his loved ones,” officials for Navy Pier told The Independent in a statement.
Inside Edition Digital has reached out to the Chicago Police Department for more information but has not heard back.
Moreno made her initial court appearance Wednesday. She was denied bail by the judge and is not to have any contact with family members, her next court appearance is on Sept. 30, according to the Cook County District Attorney's Office.
Inside Edition Digital has reached out to the Cook County Courts for comment and plea information and has not heard back.
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