"EMS responded and transported the male to Mount Sinai West Hospital where he was pronounced deceased," the New York Police Department said in a statement. The child, a migrant, was staying at the hotel after it was declared a "humanitarian relief center" for temporary migrant families in June.
While the cause of death has not been released, it is speculated he may have committed suicide. During a press conference on Tuesday, New York Mayor Eric Adams said the boy was found “with a shoelace around his throat.” The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will announce an official cause of death this week. The incident follows appeals to Adams to further address the migrant crisis, as the city continues to receive reports of worsening conditions at the facilities the city has put up to house thousands of new migrant arrivals.
“Having a child that young, having probably come from a country where they worked really hard for him, and then to have this happen for your only child? There are no words to describe,” City Councilmember Gale Brewer said.