A 5-year-old boy who was critically injured when he was thrown from the third-floor at the Mall of America near Minneapolis remains hospitalized.
Friends of the family have started a crowdfunding effort to help with medical bills. The GoFundMe campaign has already surpassed its half-million dollar goal as of Monday morning.
"(The child) has a very long road to recovery ahead of him. He suffered life threatening injuries, many people who fall from that distance aren’t as lucky to make it," reads an excerpt from the victim's GoFundMe page. "He has many surgeries ahead in his life to try to get back to a normal life for a young, vibrant boy."
Paul Rode is a business owner in Hudson, Wisconsin. He donated a thousand dollars.
"I hope his family knows that they're loved and we're here," said Rode.
Bloomington Police Chief Jeffrey Potts said Sunday that the boy is "still alive and receiving care," and that the family wants privacy. Children's Hospital Minneapolis had no information to release.
Authorities haven't released the boy's name. They say he fell nearly 40 feet after a man threw him off the third-floor Friday.
A 24-year-old suspect is jailed on a suspicion of attempted homicide charge. Jail records don't list an attorney for him. He could be formally charged as early as Monday.