Suicidal father, 21, appears in court for the first time since 'throwing his seven-month-old son off a bridge and then jumping himself, but surviving'
- Tony Moreno, 21, accused of throwing his infant son Aaden Moreno off the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown, Connecticut, on July 5, before jumping
- Moreno survived the fall, but his son's body was recovered two days later
- Moreno appeared in court Tuesday as lawyers asked for more time to prepare for a pretrial hearing, which was pushed back to September 15
- Court papers reveal Moreno's partner, Adrianne Oyola, 19, had obtained a restraining order after he threatened to make the boy 'disappear'
- The restraining order was lifted just a week before the bridge plunge
A man accused of throwing his infant son off a bridge and into the Connecticut River has made his first court appearance, with his attorney asking for more time to prepare for a pre-trial hearing.
Public defender James McKay requested a waiver of the time limit to hold a probable cause hearing, which will determine if there is enough evidence to bring the murder case against the 21-year-old Middletown man to trial.
Moreno has been held in a state Department of Correction medical unit under suicide watch since jumping from the Arrigoni Bridge into the Connecticut River in Middletown on July 5, shortly after police say he threw seven-month-old Aaden Moreno off the bridge.
The judge on Tuesday continued Tony Moreno's case to September 15.
Scroll down for video
'Suicidal': Tony Moreno, 21, accused of throwing his infant son Aaden off a Connecticut bridge on July 5, made his first court appearance Tuesday since his arrest on murder charges
First appearance: Tony Moreno (right) appears in Middletown Superior Court, Connecticut, on Tuesday July 21 with his lawyer, James McKay. Moreno's case has been continued until September 15
Found: Seven-month-old Aaden Moreno is believed to have been thrown into the Connecticut River by his suicidal father on July 5. His body was recovered from the water two days later
Authorities spent two days searching the Connecticut River for seven-month-old Aaden Moreno. His body was found in East Haddam, 15 miles from the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown
He spoke only briefly in court, indicating he understood his attorney's request.
The baby's body was recovered from the water two days after Moreno allegedly threw him from the bridge.
Officers said Aaden Moreno's body was found by a swing bridge near East Haddam, around 15 miles from where his father jumped from the Arragoni Bridge.
Moreno survived the plunge and was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Court papers previously revealed Moreno's partner, Adrianne Oyola, 19, who lives in Middletown, applied for a restraining order against him, saying he threatened to make their son 'disappear'.
Serious condition: Tony Moreno survived the 90-ft plunge from the bridge and was taken to hospital. He is seen here with his injuries from the fall
Aaden Moreno is believed to have been thrown from the Arrigoni Bridge, pictured, on Sunday night by his father who then plunged in after him. Search teams are pictured looking for Aaden's body
Tragic: A week before Aaden. pictured, was killed, a judge overturned a restraining order against his father saying he posed no 'imminent threat' to his son
According to court papers obtained by the Hartford Courant, Oyola successfully applied for the order on June 17, saying Moreno had been mentally and physically abusive, as well as threatening the safety of her son.
She said: 'He [Moreno] has told me he could make my son disappear any time of the day.
'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.'
Oyola also revealed how Moreno would call her names, slap, push and hit her, and would often pull up outside her house in his car and watch her.
However, on June 29, a week before the boy died, another judge overturned the order, saying Moreno posed no 'imminent threat' to either Oyola or her child.
In his ruling, Judge Barry C. Pinkus said: 'I think the two of you don't have a good relationship. I'm just not convinced that there's a continuous threat of present physical pain of physical injury.'
The Arrigoni Bridge stands 90ft above the Connecticut River between Middletown and Portland
Spesaking to the Harford Courant State Senator Mae Flexer said: 'This tragedy was preventable and I am again calling for increased training requirements for all judges and court personnel who work with victims of domestic violence.
'For years I have been working to increase training requirements for judges and any such requirements have been met with great resistance by the Judicial Branch. Failure to protect this baby when the signs were so clear is unacceptable.'
Share this article
Late on Sunday night police were called to the Arrigoni Bridge, which passes 90ft above the Connecticut River between Middletown and Portland.
Officers said they had received a call from an acquaintance of Moreno's, who said he called to say he was going to end his life, while a baby could be heard crying in the background.
When police arrived at the bridge, they watched as Moreno fell from the span into the river, but did not see his son in his arms, reported the station WFSB.
Officers are believed to be working on the theory that Moreno threw his son into the water before jumping in himself.
Candles are lit are seven-month-old Aaden outside his Middletown home
Neigbors and friends gather to reflect and pray for Aaden outside his home
Moreno was eventually pulled from the water and taken by helicopter to Hartford Hospital, where his condition was upgraded from serious to stable on Monday, according to WTNH.
His condition was continuing to improve on Tuesday evening, according to reports.
Middletown Police spokesman Lt. Heather Desmond said the department's thoughts 'are with Aaden and his family at this time of sorrow'.
![The ABC Chief meteorologist and her husband Ben Aaron revealed the sex of their baby on the way during a Tuesday segment on Good Morning America.
?[I?m] excited, I?m happy to get it out there,? the mom-to-be, who?s expecting their first child in December, says before the big announcement.
?I honestly don?t care [if it?s a boy or girl] as long as it looks like her side of the family,? adds Aaron, an NBC news correspondent.
The parents-to-be made the creative reveal by uncovering the lids of large alphabet blocks, out of which popped blue balloons. As the couple cheers, Aaron shouts, ?A son!?](http://web.archive.org/web/20150722012841im_/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/21/20/2ABAF36800000578-0-image-m-33_1437506240734.jpg)
