A child with autism who went missing while with his family at the Brooklyn IKEA store was found dead after being pulled from nearby waters, according to police.
The 9-year-old boy was shopping with his family at the Red Hook furniture store, and was last seen inside the location on Beard Street before 10 p.m., police said. He apparently got lost as the family was inside the store.
That triggered a desperate search in the area around Erie Basin, as it was believed the boy went missing in the water.
Investigators said the boy, who has not been identified, was nonverbal-autistic. He was reported missing after being seen on security footage walking out of the IKEA through a back door towards the water near the Gowanus Canal.
Police said at least two NYPD divers went into the water and were able to find the boy a few minutes after midnight.
The child was taken to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in critical condition, but could not be saved.
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In a heartbreaking image, a police officer was seen carrying a pair of orange-colored Crocs, which the boy was seen wearing before he went missing.
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In a statement, a spokesperson for IKEA said the company is “devastated by this tragedy. Our hearts are with the family at this difficult time.”
