After disappearing near the Ikea store in Brooklyn, New York, 9-year-old Hasbul Nehan’s body was discovered a few hours later along the Erie Basin Shoreline in Red Hook on Wednesday night.
Hasbul was an upcoming fourth grader, having finished his third grade at P.S 26, according to PIX11. He was with his two younger sisters under the care of his nanny at the time. His 6-year-old sister told the New York Daily News that he was “jumping on the beds and was laughing” before his disappearance.
According to the NY Daily, Hasbul’s mother, Abida Sultana, shared that the family’s visit to Ikea was for “the Beard St. big-box store’s waterfront views” and that Hasbul admired the ocean and the water.
Sultana called the nanny and was on the phone for a moment when Hasbul went missing. The family realized Hasbul was missing at around 8:30 pm.
They went to IKEA workers to ask them to view surveillance footage in order to locate Hasbul’s whereabouts. Sultana said, the IKEA managers only allowed cops to have viewing access.
Hasbul’s disappearance was reported to the cops at 10 pm. According to the cops, the surveillance footage showed Hasbul leaving the store and heading towards the Erie Basin, reports the NY Daily.
Police divers began their search in the Red Hook waters at 10:13 pm. They had also dispatched drones as well as canine, harbor and aviation units.
Divers recovered Hasbul’s body after a few hours and first responders transported him to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Hasbul passed away once they arrived.
“If the cops would have looked into water in time, my child could have been saved,” Sultana told the New York Daily News.
An IKEA spokesperson shared the company’s condolences for the family.
Abibul, Hasbul’s 15-year-old brother, shared that Hasbul has always returned to the family or has been found by the family when he runs off from them.
“I didn’t think this tragedy would happen to him,” Dehan, Hasbul’s 16-year-old brother, told the New York Daily News. “I had so much fun with him. His autism didn’t matter to us. It was not a burden. We loved him.”
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