Posted on 06/26/2005 4:42:35 AM PDT by brityank
Three boys' deaths, and discovery, accidental
By Adam Fifield and Kera Ritter
Inquirer Staff Writers
The last time neighbors saw Anibal Cruz, he was spraying two friends with a hose in the front yard of his family's house in the Cramer Hill section of Camden.
No one noticed when the three playmates climbed later Wednesday into the trunk of a broken-down 1992 Toyota Camry parked in a shaded patch of weeds nearby, police said. The lid then slammed shut because a hydraulic plunger that keeps the trunk from closing was broken.
Two days later, an uncle of one of the boys who had driven from Paterson, N.J., to help look for them, wanted to see whether there were any jumper cables in the Camry's trunk. David Agosto lifted the lid.
As TV cameras recorded the event, Agosto jumped back, hopped up and down, and staggered into a wall.
Inside, he had found his son, Daniel "Danny" Agosto, 6; Anibal "Juni" Cruz, 11; and Jesstin "Manny" Pagan, 5. Police said yesterday that the boys died of accidental suffocation a few yards from where relatives saw them about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. There was no evidence of foul play, authorities said.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
The law in most communities states that when you abandon an old refrigerator the door must be removed, Maybe it would be a good idea to include abandoned cars and theur trunks.
Very Tragic incident. God Bless and keep them.
"Followup to a very sad story. "
Thanks for posting this, it explains a number of things. Very tragic story.
This case is strange and I believe another cover up in New Jersey. Remember back some time ago you had a family in New Jersey that was taking welfare money and not feeding those children.There were a couple of children ten or twelve years of age weighing less than 60 pounds and the press went silent.
If these cases were in the South the MSM would never let them rest. New Jersey appears to be a hotbed for child abuse or neglect and the press is covering it up.
How often do you hear about kids suffocating in refrigerators anymore? And, is it really such an evil oppression to require safer trunks?
There's already a requirement for saftey latches. However they can be a bit tricky, not something a panicing child would be able to figure out in the dark. The design should be made simpler to operate.
Sad ping.
Yes - tragic accident.
Why do some people feel the need to have abandoned cars around their homes? I understand when a car is broken down for a short time while the money is put together to fix it, but so many just keep old dead cars around - with no real plan. Makes about as much sense as the dead refrigerator/freezer keepers. Accidents waiting to happen.
Negligent behavior when it poses a danger to kids....
ping
I can point out 6 or 7 in my beighborhood right now. I suppose one of the problems is that of disposal, or just not knowing how to get rid of it. Many communities have a limit as to how much time is allowed for a car with no tags to sit around.
Most laws , like most regulations have a background. someones name on them. Most were passed with a particular incident in mind. Too many yes, I agree , but once in a great while a law is passed that makes sense.
What I don't get - many auto salvage yards will haul off dead cars for free - and some will even pay you a little for it - depending on how much of it is "salvage-able".
Well .. sadly .. the police officer who didn't check the trunk of the car was a black woman .. therefore, she will not be blamed and the media will cover for her.
However, had it been a white GUY - he would have already been vilified in the press.
I feel badly for the policewoman .. she will be haunted by this mistake.
I realize it makes no difference now, but for a police officer to miss something that blatant is kind of scary to me.
A reporter said he was at the scene, saw the car, thought that might be likely spot to check and assumed the cops had already done so.
I'm sure the officer will be haunted by this too -
In my trunk there is a lighted handle to pull to open the latch.
Here in Central Texas, several non-profits (like Goodwill) will come get your old cars...haul them off.
It's better if they actually RUN, but they'll take the clunkers, too. The cars are fixed (if possible) by trainees in jobs programs, then sold. If not fixable, sold as scrap.
The charity gets cash, young auto mechanics get training, you get a tax deduction, and the old car is out of the yard...win-win.
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