Watch CBS News

Vigil Held for 8-Year-Old Who Died After Fall From Aventura Building

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

AVENTURA (CBSMiami) - His mother described him as an 8-year-old boy with a fantastic urge to fly.

"He wants to jump like Spiderman," Isabella said about her son, Justin.

Since he was a baby she said he was always on the move, wanting to run and jump around.

"He does extreme sports with his dad," she said.

Last week, the eldest boy of two came to visit his mom. On Thursday his family was getting ready for a  trip to Disney when Justin was nowhere to be found.

"He is a person who always pushed his own limits," she said. "That's why we spanked him. That's why we said Justin you cannot do that, Justin we know you can do everything but there are some things you can not do."

Justin had jumped 12 floors from the Echo Building in Aventura. He was playing hide-and-seek with his brother and thought the top of an awning was a trampoline.

"He told his brother we're gonna jump and everything is going to be fine, because we're going to bounce and we're going to get on the grass," his mother said. "He aimed for it but he didn't get to it."

A school resource officer ran from across the street and performed CPR along with other first responders who tried to revive him but were not successful. The fearless 8-year-old died minutes after they arrived on the scene.

"His father and him are best friends, and his father just lost his pilot," she said.

The news tugged at locals in Aventura who united Sunday at Peace Park where Justin died. They all wore white, a sign of purity for a young soul gone too soon. They walked about two blocks to honor the boy who thought he was invincible.

The community didn't know Justin nor his family, but they pulled through to help a devastated mother and father in their time of need.

His mother, father, sister and brother miss said they him very much and always will.

"My son loved life and I will remember him and I will always love him."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.