MANKATO, Minn. – A 4-year-old boy died in an apparent changing room accident at a Minnesota thrift store on Saturday.
The boy, identified by WCCO as Ryu Pena, was shopping with his grandmother at Again Thrift store around 5:30 p.m. when the incident happened. Emergency responders took Pena to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
“It appears at this time that he went into a changing room by himself, was gone for only a short period of time without direct supervision and ended up getting his hoodie stuck on a coat hanger and suffocated as a result of that,” Jeremy Clifton of the Mankato Department of Public Safety told KEYC-TV.
The incident remains under investigation, but police do not suspect foul play.
Ryu’s mother, Denise Gonzalez, told WCCO her son was very energetic, saying he was “a daredevil.”
“He would try to break dance and do little moves,” Gonzalez said. “He was playing because he’s very curious, adventurous, and it all just happened so quickly.”
On a GoFundMe page, the family identified the boy as Ryu Pena. The family is asking for donations to help with funeral costs.
