Six-year-old Thomas Sanchez, a non-verbal child with autism from Stapleton, drowned after wandering to a nearby body of water. Thomas had recently celebrated his birthday and graduated kindergarten from PS 57. He enjoyed baths, baby pools, chew toys, goldfish crackers, and sensory routines with his family, and often visited a pier near Front Street. On Sunday morning, police responded to a missing-child report, canvassed the area, and discovered Thomas unconscious in the water near the 600 block of Bay Street. Officers and EMS performed lifesaving procedures and transported him to Richmond University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The investigation remains ongoing, and the family believes an ungated pier section led to the tragedy.
On Sunday, just before 9 a.m., police responded to a report of a missing child near Broad Street and Tompkins Avenue, a spokesperson for the NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information said. Upon arrival, officers were told that Thomas was missing, and they began canvassing the surrounding area. After a short search, they discovered Thomas unconscious and unresponsive in the water near the 600 block of Bay Street in Stapleton.
Cardona described Thomas as energetic and intelligent, with a deep affection for sensory comforts like chew toys and goldfish crackers. He especially loved being tickled on his neck and tummy, and enjoyed having his ears held in the morning, she reminisced through tears. Though he was non-verbal, Thomas understood routines and familiar places, one of which was the pier near Front Street, where he often visited with his mother and siblings.
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