Landen Hoffmann, the Minnesota boy thrown from a Mall of America balcony six years ago, is now healthy and happy, his mother reports. Landen was 5 years old when a stranger assaulted him at the busy shopping center.
The boy was tossed over the third-floor railing, falling nearly 40 feet. He sustained numerous severe injuries, including a fractured skull, broken facial bones, fractured arms, and a broken leg. One particularly devastating injury involved a life-threatening tear to his vena cava vein, which leads to the heart.
Emmanuel Aranda, 24 at the time of the attack, later told law enforcement he was angry after being rejected by women and was "looking for someone to kill." Aranda was identified as Aranda and received a 19-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to attempted murder in 2019.
Landen's recovery involved a multi-year process. He spent four months in intensive care and underwent more than a dozen surgeries. Physical rehabilitation was also necessary.
His mother, Kari Hoffmann, told the Daily Mail the journey was difficult, marked by what she called "so many miracles." Landen injured his frontal lobe, which affected his personality temporarily.
Kari watched her son change from his usual sweet demeanor to anger before eventually returning to his true self. "It took time for him to be back to him," she said, adding that he had to "learn who he was again."
A moment during recovery, when Landen broke his leg a second time while trying to walk, was also viewed by Kari as a miracle. It led doctors to discover the severity of the vena cava injury, realizing he could have died if he had continued to walk.
Now 11, Landen does not recall the fall itself, only his time in the hospital. Kari has written a book about their experience titled "Miracle at the Mall."
Mother and son recently visited the hospital staff who cared for Landen in 2019, bringing them copies of the book. Landen reportedly enjoys sharing his story, often stating, "God saved me, God's real."
The family has not returned to the site of the attack. Kari is aware Aranda is eligible for parole in roughly seven years but says she is focused on the present, thankful her son is alive and recovered. The family has navigated the aftermath with faith, viewing the attack as evil but emphasizing survival.
