Child dropped from Daytona Beach hotel balcony will be OK, police say

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The child who was dangled and then dropped from a second-floor balcony of a Daytona Beach hotel over the weekend is expected to be OK, according to police. 

As a result of the fall from a balcony at Sandals Inn on South Ocean Avenue on Saturday evening, the boy, whose age was redacted from the police report, was transported to a local hospital with serious and severe internal injuries, including blunt-force trauma to his head. 

An update from a spokesperson with the police department on Tuesday afternoon revealed that the boy will be just fine. 

"The child is in good health and has been released from the hospital," the spokesperson told FOX 35. "No long-term health issues are expected as a result of this incident."

Brandon Gilmore, 31, is now facing an aggravated child abuse charge after he allegedly dangled a child – which belonged to a woman he met at the hotel pool earlier that day – by his leg over the balcony of her hotel room, according to an arrest affidavit from the Daytona Beach Police Department.

Brandon Gilmore was arrested on July 6, 2024 and charged with aggravated child abuse. (Photo: Volusia County Jail)

Gilmore said he was "playing" with the boy and wanted to "scare him a little bit," the affidavit said. Furthermore, police said both Gilmore and the boy's mom were drinking that day. 

The Department of Children and Families has been notified of the incident. 

Gilmore remains in custody at the Volusia County Jail without bond as of Tuesday afternoon.