Police say a 5-year-old with autism remains on a ventilator as the investigation moves forward.
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A North Miami Beach man was arrested Sunday after police said his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son with autism was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries following a series of incidents inside a home on Northeast 179th Street. Daniel Eduardo Romero, 34, was booked without bond on counts that include aggravated child abuse causing great bodily harm, child neglect with great bodily harm and providing false information to investigators.
Authorities said the case matters now because the boy, who is nonverbal, remains in critical care as detectives sort through conflicting accounts from adults in the home. Investigators are reviewing an arrest report that details shifting explanations and medical findings that doctors deemed consistent with blunt force trauma rather than accidental falls. Prosecutors are evaluating potential additional charges while detectives examine prior, unreported domestic incidents described by the child’s mother. The immediate stakes center on the child’s stability, the mother’s statements, and Romero’s custody status as the court weighs evidence gathered since late last week.
Police said the investigation began Friday when officers were called to a residence in the 1400 block of Northeast 179th Street for a child in cardiac arrest. Officers found the 5-year-old without a detectable pulse and performed CPR until fire rescue arrived and restored a heartbeat. The child was taken first to Jackson North and then transferred to Holtz Children’s Hospital for specialized care. According to an arrest report, Romero initially told detectives he had taught the boy to ride a bicycle the previous day and that the child fell, bruising his forehead and scratching his face. When asked to show the bicycle, Romero could not, later producing a small wagon investigators noted appeared weathered and unused. The boy’s mother at first echoed the bicycle account, then changed her statement after learning more about the child’s condition at the hospital.
Medical staff documented internal bleeding to the brain and abdominal cavity, lacerations to the liver, kidney and spleen, a fractured left arm, facial abrasions, bruising on the back and swelling to the forehead and rear of the head. A clinician told detectives the injuries did not align with accidental trauma and were indicative of blunt force injuries. Police records say the mother recounted finding Romero next to the child after hearing a commotion, with Romero later telling her the boy fell off the bed, struck a television and a food stand, and later slipped while running in socks and scraped his face on a vacuum. Detectives said both adults initially repeated a bike-fall explanation to responding officers before the mother revised her account and expressed belief Romero caused the injuries. The boy was described as unstable and placed on mechanical ventilation.
In interviews detailed in the report, the mother told detectives she and Romero have been in an on-and-off relationship since 2023 and share two younger children, but Romero is not the 5-year-old’s biological father. She said Romero disliked the child’s legal last name and grew irritated by behaviors associated with autism, including rocking and making noise. She also referenced prior domestic incidents that went unreported. Relatives said the child, identified by family as Mason, is a bubbly music lover who tries to avoid Romero when he becomes angry. “The way you brutally beat my grandbaby was unjust,” said Elizabeth Garcia, the boy’s grandmother, speaking outside the hospital. She said the child was unresponsive for about 30 minutes before medics revived him.
Detectives said the mother noticed swelling on Thursday to the back of the boy’s head and arm, treated him with ice and over-the-counter medicine and did not seek medical care. On Friday morning, she told investigators, the boy woke up lethargic and weakened throughout the day until his lips turned blue. She said she told Romero to call 911 and tried splashing water in the bathroom as he became unresponsive. Police say Romero declined to speak further with detectives after his arrest. He remained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Monday. Court records show he is being held without bond while prosecutors prepare formal charging documents.
Authorities said the next steps include continued monitoring of the boy’s condition at Holtz Children’s, a review of crime-scene evidence from the Northeast 179th Street residence and follow-up interviews. Prosecutors are expected to present the case for filing decisions in the coming days. If the child’s condition improves, doctors could provide additional injury timelines to investigators. A first appearance hearing reflected the no-bond status and the severity of the medical reports. Officials did not immediately release a date for the next court setting.
Outside the hospital, family members described the child as friendly and energetic. “Today, I show up as his voice,” Garcia said, adding that the family hopes he will fully recover. Neighbors on the block said police and rescue units arrived quickly Friday afternoon and worked on the child for several minutes in the home before transport. One resident said the area is typically quiet, with families walking dogs and children playing after school. Another neighbor said she saw detectives return over the weekend and load items into evidence bags as rain clouds moved in.
As of Tuesday morning, Romero remained jailed without bond and the boy was still on a ventilator at Holtz Children’s, according to officials. Investigators said they will provide an update when the child’s condition changes or when prosecutors announce initial charging decisions later this week.
Author note: Last updated January 14, 2026.