A New Jersey county prosecutor's office says it is investigating the "suspicious" death of a 3-year-old boy, though few other details were available Tuesday.
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez's office confirmed in a tweet that the prosecutor office's homicide unit and Jersey City police were investigating the toddler's death in Jersey City Heights.
Three law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case say the mother ran, screaming, into the street after the boy started gasping at the family's Baldwin Street home. An off-duty EMT heard her cries and tried to help resuscitate the boy, they said.
The child was brought to Christ Hospital around 6:20 a.m. Tuesday. He was pronounced dead less than four hours later. The prosecutor's office said the cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner.
No details were released on the child, his family or the circumstances surrounding his death.
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The house is just a 5-minute walk from the hospital where the boy was taken. According to the sources, the mother told a nurse there that he had had difficulty breathing for a few days. She said his condition worsened markedly, with him struggling for air, Tuesday.
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The sources say the boy appeared malnourished when he was taken to the hospital and had several broken bones. An autopsy will be conducted to determine how she died.
An investigation is ongoing. Detectives have been searching for surveillance video and talking to neighbors as they try to piece the case together.
