TERROR IN THE HEARTLAND: BOY, 5, HURLED OFF MALL OF AMERICA BALCONY, PREDATOR STALKED MALL

TERROR IN THE HEARTLAND: BOY, 5, HURLED OFF MALL OF AMERICA BALCONY, PREDATOR STALKED MALL

In Minnesota, the Mall of America is not just a place to shop; being the largest mall in the Western Hemisphere, it is also a tourist attraction.

Located on the spot where the NFL Vikings and Major League Baseball Twins play in Metropolitan Stadium, in the mall's amusement park, a seat from Metropolitan Stadium marks the exact spot Harmon Killebrew's 520th MLB home run landed.

Spanning four floors, locals come to shop, while tourists come to gawk at the sheer size of the mall.

On a chilly April morning, with snow still on the ground, Kari Hoffmann, her 5-year-old son Landen, a friend, and her son Will arrive at the mall early, before all the stores open. Standing outside the Rain Forest Cafe, third floor, the boys play on a fake rock when a man Kari thinks is an employee walks up to the boys.

Asking if it was ok for the boys to be on the rock, the man tells the moms, very nicely, it's ok, "you can be here." The man then leans down and whispers something in Will's ear.

Later, details uncover that he says, "If you don't get off this rock, I'm going to throw you off.

As the boys nervously giggle, the man reaches around Will, grabs Landen, and throws the 5-year-old over the third-floor railing. Frozen for a moment, Kari Hoffmann screams as her boy is falling more than three stories to the ground; the shaken mother runs down the escalator to her broken little boy, telling onlookers to pray as she runs.

Falling 40 feet to the ground, Landen Hoffmann breaks his skull, facial bones, both arms, and a leg, as well as suffers a life-threatening injury to his vena cavae vein running to his heart. Two nurses who work in a cardiac unit happen to be near when this horrific event happens and perform CPR on Landen.

He is taken to the Minneapolis Children's Hospital, where he is immediately rushed into lifesaving surgery, and from there he is placed in the intensive care unit, doctors unsure if he will survive the trauma.

While stunned onlookers are encouraged by Kari Hoffmann to pray for her son, back up on the third floor, a 68-year-old man tackles the suspect as he runs away, slowing the man down enough so even though he jumped on the railway, cops are able to arrest the man.

This terror is caused by 24-year-old Emmanuel Aranda, a man known to the mall with a history of arrests for trespassing, cited for throwing items at mall patrons from the top floor of the mall.

Weeks later, he returns to the mall, this time harassing two women and throwing things in a mall restaurant.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

  • Kari Hoffmann - Landen's Mother, Author of "Miracle at The Mall"
  • Dr. Thomas Coyne - Chief Medical Examiner, District 2 Medical Examiner's Office, State of Florida; Forensic Pathologist, Neuropathologist, Toxicologist; X: @DrTMCoyne
  • Dave Mack - 'Crime Stories' Investigative Reporter

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episoder(4946)

Missy Bevers Murder: What do you see in the 'Vehicle of Interest"?

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The public release of video showing a “vehicle of interest” hovering in a parking lot near the church where Missy Bevers was murdered has spurred new speculation about the killer’s identity. But when you zoom in on the car, can you really see the killer? Nancy Grace and Alan Duke discuss the theories and what they've confirmed from a third source close to the unsolved case. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Jan 201720min

Sherri Papini Copycats? New California Kidnappings Examined

Sherri Papini Copycats? New California Kidnappings Examined

The LAPD detective investigating the kidnapping of a woman in Van Nuys, California, allegedly by two hispanic women, gives Nancy Grace new details. He weighs in on speculation this abduction could be related to the Sherri Papini case. Grace and reporter Alan Duke discuss this and other missing female cases in California. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 Jan 201720min

Tara Grinstead 'Up & Vanished': Podcast Investigation

Tara Grinstead 'Up & Vanished': Podcast Investigation

"Up & Vanished" podcaster Payne Lindsey discusses his latest revelations about the Tara Grinstead case. The Georgia school teacher and former beauty queen disappeared in 2005, leaving a mystery that baffles investigators. It's a case that Nancy Grace has watched closely since soon after Grinstead was reported missing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Jan 201723min

Teen Grace Packer's "Rape Fantasy" Murder: Mom & Boyfriend Charged

Teen Grace Packer's "Rape Fantasy" Murder: Mom & Boyfriend Charged

Grace Packer's dismembered body was found in Pennsylvania woods months after her adopted mother reported the 14-year-old missing. Investigators say the mom and her boyfriend killed the teen while acting out an 18-hour-long "rape-murder fantasy." Nancy Grace discusses the gruesome and bizarre details with reporter Alan Duke. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Jan 201718min

Cold Case: Chuckie Mauk Killer Still Free

Cold Case: Chuckie Mauk Killer Still Free

Nancy Grace digs into a cold case that's very personal to her: The murder of Chuckie Mauk. The 13-year-old boy was shot to death while riding his bike in a middle Georgia community in 1986. His mom talks to Nancy about her hope for justice decades later and the grief that won't go away. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Jan 201730min

Hoax Crime Reports Hurt Real Victims

Hoax Crime Reports Hurt Real Victims

Kidnapping or missing person cases that turn out to be a hoax hurts victims of real crimes. Police, the media and the public can become suspicious when circumstances are similar. While hoax kidnappings have been around for decades, today’s social media give skeptics a bigger platform to speculate. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke discuss this. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Jan 201719min

Little Ashley Zhao Found Dead In Chinese Restaurant

Little Ashley Zhao Found Dead In Chinese Restaurant

A day-long search for 5-year-old Ashley Zhao ended with the discovery of the child's body in her parent's Chinese restaurant. Her mother called 911 to report Ashley had wandered away from the North Canton, Ohio, family business. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke discuss the case and what might happen to the accused killer. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Jan 201712min

Who Kidnapped 'Super Mom' Sherri Papini?

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Nearly two months after the Thanksgiving Day miracle of Sherri Papini's release by kidnappers, her case is still unsolved. Nancy Grace and Alan Duke discuss the bizarre care of the kidnapped California 'Super Mom.' Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Jan 201712min

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