'Angels caught me': Boy thrown from mall balcony walking normally, family friend says

A 5-year-old boy who was thrown from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Minnesota is walking normally again seven months after the attack.

That's according to an update posted Friday by family friend Noah Hanneman on a GoFundMe page which has raised more than $1 million for the boy and his family.

The boy, identified by the page and in court as Landen, fell about 40 feet on April 12 after he was grabbed at random by Emmanuel Aranda.

Aranda has since pleaded guilty to attempted premeditated first-degree murder and been sentenced to 19 years in prison. He told investigators he went to the mall “looking for someone to kill.”

But after a lengthy hospitalization and multiple physical therapies, the boy is beginning to return to a normal life, according to Hanneman.

Landen "loves being back to school and going to kindergarten at the same school his twin brother and sister go to," Hanneman wrote.

April 15: Boy thrown nearly 40-feet from Mall of America balcony is a 'strong survivor'

The boy returned home in August, but walked with a limp as he recovered from a number of medical challenges. In recent months, he has improved and demonstrated incredible positivity, according to the post.

"Landen loves life and Jesus! He tells people all the time when they get hurt, don’t worry, I fell off a cliff, but Angels caught me and Jesus loves me, so I’m ok and you will be too!"

Contributing: Ashley May and The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boy thrown off Mall of America balcony walking normally, family friend says