Indonesian boy, 5, leaps to his death after failing to watch ‘Spider-Man’

This CD cover image released by Columbia Records shows the original motion picture soundtrack for ’The Amazing Spider-Man 2.’ AP

JAKARTA—A five-year old Indonesian boy jumped from a 19 floor apartment window after failing to convince his mother to watch “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.”

The victim, identified as Valentino, asked his mother to watch the second instalment of the globally popular movie, said Adj. Sr. Comr. Suyudi, police chief in North Jakarta’s Penjaringan subdistrict.

But the kindergarten pupil’s mother told him they could not go to the cinema as his younger sibling was ill, said Suyudi.

“After his request was declined, Valentino then rushed to his room and locked it from the inside. The mother was still trying to unlock the door when she heard a sound that turned out to be her son jumping from the room’s window,” he said.

He was rushed to the nearest hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival, Kompas.com reported on Thursday.

Police were investigating if other circumstances could have led to the boy’s suicide.

Although the report attributed the cause to the “Spiderman” movie, the World Health Organization said “suicide is never the result of a single factor or event.”

“It is usually caused by a complex interaction of many factors such as mental and physical illness, substance abuse, family disturbances, interpersonal conflicts and life stressors,” a WHO primer read.

The WHO also said suicide should not be glorified as an act. It added that suicide can be prevented through proper intervention.  The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network

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