New York infant drowns in toilet bowl

Brooklyn, NY, United States (4E) – A 14-month-old baby boy died after drowning in the toilet bowl of a relative’s home in Brooklyn.

The infant, Mendi Altman, was discovered by his 13-year-old brother late Monday night after he went to use the bathroom in his aunt’s apartment, according to the New York Daily News.

Investigators said that everyone had been to bed after celebrating together the first day of the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana when the accident took place.

An ambulance brought the baby to Maimonides Medical Center, where he was declared dead on arrival.

The New York Office Chief Medical Examiner said that the child’s death was ruled as an accidental drowning. There will be no autopsy done.

The body has been handed over to the family for burial. In Orthodox Judaism, burial usually occurs within 24 hours of the death of a person, according to the Your Jewish News.

The boy lives with his parents and six siblings in largely Hassidic upstate Monsey in New York.

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