[NJ] Three boys' deaths, and discovery, accidental

Philly Inquirer ^ | 26 June, 2005 | Adam Fifield and Kera Ritter, Inquirer Staff Writers

[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.

[ThanhPhero]

There was no evidence of foul play,

Tell me again about the plastic bag over one's head.

[arthurus]

It is illegal to dispose of refrigerators with their doors still attached now and as far as I know car trunks are not airtight and new ones are made with internal releases. I am dubious about those releases. As a taxi driver many years ago, I was strongarmed and a knife was held to my neck for my cash. The two gentlemen had not thought out the action and were wondering what to do with me and were speculating about the usefulness of nearby shrubbery. I did not like the sound of that at all and told them the way it is done is to lock the victim into the trunk where he can't get out until the car is found and they don't have a murder rap. They liked that suggestion. If trunks were easy to get out of, I probably would have been left in the bushes. The two fellows were caught holding up a gas station a couple of hours later. They had been released from the state prison the day previous.

[brityank]

"Tell me again about the plastic bag ..."

---

Excuse me?


I said that where?


Go to the Inky and read the whole story; nothing there about any plasic bag.

[arthurus]

On several other threads, mention was made of a plastic bag. It was in at least one of the articles. I assumed it was part of the story for all of them.

[brityank]

Then find those threads and ask whomever posted that -- I didn't; this story didn't mention it.

After seeing some of the venomous, DU-like comments on one of the first threads. I passed most comments by. This seems like one of them.

[Trust but Verify]

What are you suggesting took place here? If you have any evidence of someone killing these kids, please come out with it or stop with the unfounded insinuations.

[in the Arena]

How often do you hear about kids suffocating in refrigerators anymore?

Refrigerators went to magnetic seals rather than mechanical latches...

[Trust but Verify]

That was never a direct quote and there have been no further references to it. It appeared in a story where a father supposedly said one of the boys had a plastic bag on his head. Many took it to mean that the father was told the boys had suffocated and the father assumed this was with a plastic bag. Otherwise, is it not possible there was a bag in the trunk and someone assumed it was used to suffocate the kids?

The problem with stories like this, on this forum anyway, is that people take little bits of information that have or have not been confirmed and they just run with wild theories.

I happen to think it's disgusting, but I'm apparently a minority on that position.

[gunnedah]

I say it needs to be investigated fully. A lot of situations are unfounded especially if they are never investigated.
Sometime back the state of New Jersey was very derelict in their duties from what I read about children being starved in a family that was receiving welfare money and the press never looked into it or did not espouse upon the situation like they have in the state of Florida.
Sounds to me you may be another great northerner who likes to sweep the trash under the rug and thumb your nose at others.

[Lib-Lickers 2]

first place Mark Furman or Bo Dietl would have checked would have been the trunk of that car,, first class detectives,, when you have to have a certain amount of affirmative action detective slots filled so Jesse can be pleased you get mediocraty,,,, they also need some first class southern bloodhounds

[Trust but Verify]

If there WAS a bag on the head of one of the kids, and someone other than the police (who you are assuming would WANT to cover up the murder of three young boys)saw it, where are they? Why are they not shouting out to the press that there is something wrong with the official story?

I'm sure the incident is being fully investigated. Here are some FACTS:

1)The children went missing in broad daylight.
2)The car where they were found was parked in full view of the street.
3)The mother who was watching the kids left to go into the house for no more than 10 minutes.
4)The trunk had a broken cylinder which caused it to close as soon as it was no longer being held up.
5)There was a driving rain storm off and on that evening, which probably prevented anyone from hearing any cries for help from the boys.

I cold go on, but you can't be convinced because of some other unrelated story of some kind of corruption somewhere else in NJ, which makes eveything that happens from that day forward some kind of conspiracy. Whatever.

[gunnedah]

Well, Go on and on with your excuses! Three kids in the trunk of an abandoned or junked automobile,in view of everyone and everyone knows they are missing?

[Trust but Verify]

I'm not making excuses for anyone! I'm just not accusing people of lying about how they died. They died because they did something typical of boys, yet stupid. They died because none of the people thought to check for them in the trunk. More than likely it is a situation where nobody thought of looking there, or everyone thought someone else had looked.