Father throws son off bridge after custody dispute with mother

A suicidal father who reportedly threw his baby son off a bridge and tried to leap to his own death texted the child's mother moments before saying: "Enjoy your new life without us."

Tony Moreno, 21, survived his own suicide attempt after 'throwing the seven-month-old over the edge' following a bitter custody dispute.

He was charged with murder July 8 after he admitted throwing his 7-month-old son into the Connecticut River before jumping in himself during a failed suicide attempt.

Tony survived the 90ft plunge into the Connecticut River in front of police, but the body of seven-month-old Aaden Moreno was found a mile downstream two days later.

Court documents reveal the chilling final message exchange between Moreno and the boy's panicked mother Adrianne Oyola, 19.

The harrowing episode came at the culmination of a bitter custody battle between the pair, which involved a restraining order against the father being lifted days earlier, according to the New York Daily News.

On the night of July 5, Ms Oyola texted Moreno to ask him when he would be bringing the child back after a stay with his father.

But at 11.45pm, he sent her a message telling her to "enjoy your new life without us".

When the horrified mum replied to ask about the boy's whereabouts, he coldly replied "he's dead," followed by another message that said "and soon I will be too."

Moreno took the child to the Arrigoni Bridge, in Connecticut, before throwing him over the edge and jumping himself.

Before throwing himself into the river, Moreno reportedly called his mother asking her to come and collect a phone that contained pictures of his son and to "just tell everyone I'm sorry."

Denise Moreno told police she could hear her grandson crying during the horrifying call.

She raced to the Arrigoni Bridge with another son, Aaron, and dialled 911.

Police arrived in time to watch as the young father leapt off the edge and into the river - a fall, authorities said, that has killed others who have jumped in the past.

He was picked up unconscious below before being taken to Hartford Hospital where he woke up with a badly bruised and battered face.

Detectives charged Moreno with murder, murder with special circumstances - a charge in the US involving cases where the victim is under 16 - and criminal violation of a restraining order for making contact with Oyola and Aaden on June 25.

He was arraigned on the charges in his hospital room and has being held by the state's Department of Corrections on a $2million bond.

The New York Daily News reports that Moreno admitted to throwing his infant son into the river just before police arrived on Sunday night.

Little Aaden's body was found by a canoeist almost a mile downstream on Wednesday.

Ms Oyola was granted a temporary restraining order against Moreno on June 17 but that was revoked 12 days later.

In court documents detailing the custody fued between the boy's parents, Ms Oyola described her ex-partner as "mentally and physically abusive" and said he was a danger to their child.

She said: "He has told me he could make my son disappear any time of the day," she wrote in her initial court filing, the Courant reported.

"He told me how he could make me disappear, told me how he could kill me. I sometimes am scared to sleep. He told me he would put me in the ground and put something on me to make me disintegrate faster."

Despite the claims, Superior Court Judge Barry Pinkus ruled the young father was not an "imminent" threat and told the couple to "grow up"

He said: "I don't know whether the two of you are mature enough at this present time to have an adult relationship.

"You're not giving me grown-up behavior … You're parents now. Okay? And if you want your child to grow up to be healthy and well, you need to grow up and deal with each other as adults, and you're not doing that right now."

"I can't believe it's true, but it is and we must be strong for each other," the grieving mom's older sister, Lizi Oyola, wrote on Facebook late Tuesday.

"Dear Lord, let him be in a sanctuary worthy of his perfection. God, please have all his favorite toys, especially Mickey Mouse. And please help us through this pain."