Death of 3-year-old boy found bruised in East Harlem last August labeled a homicide

EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- The death of another child in New York City now being called a homicide, after the Medical Examiner ruled a 3-year-old boy died over the summer from multiple blunt impacts including injuries of the head and neck.

Police responded to a 911 call of an aided child outside the Jefferson Houses in East Harlem on August 3, and arriving officers found Caleb Rivera in a state of distress with bruising about the body. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared brain dead. He passed away two days later.

"I really was shocked to see a child that small in distress," witness Anne Marie Grant said. They said the baby wasn't breathing. We then said, 'Hey, give the baby CPR.' And so one lady started pushing on the baby, but not to long after, the EMT came."

Police say the boy's 27-year-old mother had left her son with her new boyfriend, who she was with for about three months, to go to the store.

Minutes later, the 23-year-old boyfriend reportedly called her on her cell phone and told her the child wasn't breathing.

The man ran out of the apartment and placed him on an outdoor bench.

Police say they are still investigating, but no arrests have been made.

The boy's biological father lives out of state.