Autistic 9-year-boy drowns after wandering from Brooklyn Ikea: sources

The drowned body of a 9-year-old non-verbal autistic boy was recovered by police divers hours after he went missing in Brooklyn on Wednesday night, cops sources told the Daily News.

The divers and an array of other first responders had been frantically looking for the child after he wandered off while his parents were shopping at the Red Hook Ikea, the sources said.

Hasbul Hehan was last seen just before 10 p.m. in the Beard St. outlet of the Swedish furniture store wearing a black shirt, blue shorts and orange Crocs, police said.

First responders took the young victim to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Surveillance footage from the outlet showed the boy walking out of the store toward the water in the Erie Basin, according to cops.

The child’s orange Crocs were found by the search team in the water before the boy was.

Police deployed canine, harbor and aviation units for the search.

Divers went into the water at 10:13 p.m. and drones searched from above, according to sources.

Originally Published: Aug 16, 2023 at 11:22 pm