Bronx Father Charged With Murder After Throwing Toddler Son Into River

Montrell Williams appeared to still be alive before he was thrown into the river, footage showed.

A Bronx father has been charged with murder and manslaughter after allegedly throwing his 2-year-old son into the river in a horrifying act that led to the child’s death, prosecutors revealed during a court arraignment.

According to Bronx prosecutors, 20-year-old Arius Williams was seen on surveillance video hurling his son, Montrell Williams, into the water from the Bruckner Bridge just before midnight on May 10—the same day the toddler was reported missing. Assistant District Attorney Astrid Borgstedt said the video showed Montrell alive, standing upright in only a diaper, just moments before Williams launched him into the air and into the river.

Arius Williams allegedly told the mother of little Montrell Williams, “Shut the f—k up! I threw that n—a into the river,” as he threatened her with a knife on Sunday, prosecutors revealed in court

“He literally callously threw his 2-year-old child over the bridge that led to his death,” Borgstedt stated in court.

Later that night, Williams reportedly visited a relative's home, where family members questioned him about Montrell’s whereabouts. He refused to answer and fled the scene. When the child’s mother confronted him days later, he allegedly told her, “Shut the f—k up! I threw that n—a into the river,” while threatening her with a knife, prosecutors said.

That confrontation occurred nearly a month after Montrell went missing, when the 17-year-old mother happened to spot Williams on the street after stepping off a bus. He initially claimed he would take her to see Montrell, only to lead her to St. Mary’s Park and brandish a knife instead.

Video allegedly showed Williams launching the little boy into the air and throwing him into the river just before midnight May 10.

Montrell’s body, believed to be in an advanced state of decomposition, was discovered on Wednesday near Ferry Point Park in Queens, wrapped in a blanket, wearing a diaper, a shirt, and a single sock.

Williams had previously taken Montrell from his grandmother’s house to attend a Mother’s Day gathering, where he reportedly got into a dispute with his own mother before storming off with the child. When he failed to return Montrell the following day, the boy’s mother contacted police. A warrant for Williams to produce the child was issued on May 28 after weeks of evasion and silence.

A body believed to be missing Bronx boy Montrell Williams (pictured) was found in the East River on Wednesday. Photo credit NYPD and Citizen App

Prosecutors said Williams refused to cooperate with family members or law enforcement and offered no information about his son’s location during court proceedings related to custodial interference. He was taken into custody on Monday and charged with two counts each of murder and manslaughter. Judge Daniel Lewis ordered that he be held without bail.

Outside the courthouse, Montrell’s grandfather, Leroy Burton, 51, expressed the family’s anguish: “I lost my child and we lost him, too,” referring to both his son and grandson. Arius Williams, who once worked as a teacher’s assistant, had a history of domestic violence involving Montrell’s mother.