Brooklyn neighbor says he heard loud noises before child found dead in apartment

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- A neighbor says he heard loud noises just before a 3-year-old was found dead in a Brooklyn apartment Sunday night.

Officers responded to an apartment on New York Avenue in East Flatbush around 9:45 p.m., according to authorities. The toddler was discovered dead with trauma to his head and neck, police said.

The boy was found in a bathtub in the apartment, according to law enforcement sources. It’s unclear exactly what led up to his death.

The child’s mother had left him with a family friend, who was babysitting, according to authorities. Sources told PIX11 News that the child was left with a 54-year-old man and that the relationship was unclear.

The 54-year-old man’s 29-year-old stepson was taken into custody for questioning, according to sources. He hasn’t been charged, sources said.

Neighbors in the building said they were stunned and in disbelief about what happened.

A man who lives directly below the apartment where the boy was found said it’s been loud there during the past week, including just before the toddler was found in the apartment.

“I can’t sleep at night. It’s like somebody’s moving in. They’re dropping things. They can’t lift it,” said Randolph Bynoe, the downstairs neighbor.

Bynoe said police investigators spoke with him about the noises he heard. It is apparently part of the investigation, which remains ongoing.