Toddler tossed onto Honolulu highway

HONOLULU, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Honolulu police held a 23-year-old man on murder charges for allegedly throwing a toddler off a pedestrian bridge onto a busy highway.

Authorities said the 2-year-old boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene, may have been struck by a delivery truck after hitting the ground, Honolulu's KHON-TV reported Friday.

Several witnesses reported seeing the suspect, Matthew Higa, throw the unidentified child off the bridge just before noon Thursday.

The Honolulu Advertiser reported Friday that Higa lived in the same apartment building as the child and was sometimes asked to babysit the boy.

Higa's father told KHON TV that his son has a history of mental illness but never received treatment for it.

Higa faces second-degree murder charges and four counts of contempt.