Witness: 4-year-old boy tossed off bridge was 'screaming and crying ... it broke my heart'



MONTESANO, Wash. -- The cell phone video is hard is watch, as a 4-year-old boy is thrown off a bridge by an unidentified man into the river below, where witnesses say his mother was watching.

“Once he hit the water and he came up, he was just screaming and then the mom comforted him as he swam back,” Kaylub Fawley said Monday.

Fawley shot the now-viral video, causing outrage on social media.

His friend, Brianna Jones, said she called 911.

“I was scared because at first I thought he was going to smack his head on that lower beam," Jones said. "I thought he broke his neck because he hit his neck and he had a life jacket on, so he got sucked up really fast. When he came up, he was actually screaming and crying. It broke my heart hearing that."

Sheriff's deputies were called to the Devonshire Bridge over the Wynochee River in Montesano last week after bystanders witnessed the boy being thrown off the bridge and called police

The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office tells Q13 News  they are investigating the incident, along with the state Child Protective Services.

And while the little boy survived the fall, deputies say they cited the mother for reckless endangerment.  They say they also cited the man who threw the child off the bridge with reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing -- all misdemeanors.

With nearly 400,000 views on Facebook, Kaylub and Brianna hope all the attention results in some sort of justice for the little boy.

“I just hope something is done about this. I don’t want this to be waived over,” said Fawley.

“I feel like she needs to go to jail for it or get charged, because you can’t just do that to a kid and let it happen,” said Jones.

Investigators say the mother and the man have not been officially charged as of Monday and the investigation is continuing.

WARNING: The video is graphic and contains strong language