Search for missing baby of man who jumped off Connecticut bridge now recovery operation

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Police say the search for a 7-month-old boy in the Connecticut River is now a recovery operation.

The baby, Aaden Moreno, was reported missing Sunday night when his father, 22-year-old Tony Moreno, jumped from the Arrigoni Bridge into the river. The search extended into Monday as police spoke with family members and visited homes where they believed Moreno may have taken the child.

"To think that it's possible that somebody perhaps committing suicide would take a child with them, I can't even get my mind around that," Middletown resident Robert Robinson said.

Investigators now say Moreno went into the Connecticut River, even though police on the scene did not see Tony Moreno actually holding the boy when he jumped.

After witnessing the 22-year-old make the 120-foot plunge into the river, first responders jumped into action and quickly pulled him out of water. But the little boy, last ween wearing a white Mickey Mouse shirt and black pants, was nowhere to be found.

"We have done tracks with our canine from the father's home to here," Middletown Police Lieutenant Heather Desmond said. "We are checking the wooded area. Any place possible where that child would be, we are searching for that child."

Police initially learned about Moreno's suicide attempt from a family member who called 911 right after speaking with the distraught young father. The caller said a baby could be heard in the background.

Moreno remains hospitalized in stable condition. Police say charges are expected.

Police said they have been interviewing Moreno's family to see if the child is with them. Middletown Mayor Daniel Drew said police searched other sites Monday morning.

"We're leaving no stone unturned," he said.

The silver alert describes the child as weighing 23 pounds and wearing a white shirt with black stripes with a Mickey Mouse picture and black pants. He has black hair and brown eyes.