News: Funeral for Kids Drowned in Hudson
(Long Island, N.Y.) The funeral was held for the three toddler victims of their twenty-five-year-old mother’s plunging of a minivan off a boating ramp and into the Hudson River. While the mother and little ones perished, the eldest child was able to escape through the window.
On that fateful morning of April 12th a relative called the police to report a dispute between the twenty-five-year-old mother and the father of her three youngest children. By the time the police arrived at the household, she had already taken off with her children. Though the two were disputing and living separately, no prior incidents of domestic issues had been reported.
The oldest of the children and only survivor is a ten-year-old boy. The two male toddlers were five and two, and the only daughter was just a month short of her first birthday. The location was sixty miles north of New York City in a city of 28,000 residents called Newburgh. The boat ramp was located just a few blocks from the family’s apartment.
The courageous ten-year-old was able to roll down the window as the van was sinking by allegedly hitting the power button on the driver’s side. He then swam to shore and began to call for help. Experts on the case estimated that the vehicle had been completely submerged within two minutes of impact, and was not visible by the time the child got to safety.
The water was a frigid forty-five degrees and the cold, soaked boy was spotted by a driver in the area. He was brought to a firehouse and informed rescuers of the tragedy. The van was pulled onto the ramp by a tow truck, where it was learned that all of the passengers had perished.
Reports stated that the van went down in an estimated ten feet of water located twenty-five yards from shore. The passerby that aided the only survivor claimed to have rolled down her window after spotting the boy waving his hands and pleading for help. She ventured knee deep into the Hudson after communicating with the child, but didn’t see any traces of the vehicle within the murky waters.
The boy quickly relayed the story and claimed that he asked his mother what was happening as she speeded down the boat ramp toward the water. He said that his mother was on the phone with his grandmother to apologize for what she was about to do, but didn’t say what the action was. The grandmother called back as the mother climbed into the middle row of the minivan where her three youngest children had been stationed.
The ten-year-old, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat, claimed that they thought they were just going for a drive. When he perceived the situation, he tried to flee, but his mother held on to her kids inside the car. Multiple times she chanted: “if I’m going to die, you’re all going to die with me.”
Before escaping from the van, the child remembered his mother saying that she had made a terrible mistake as she attempted to reverse the vehicle. The car was unable to budge, and as the mother turned her attention to preventing the vehicle from sinking, she let her eldest son loose. She then consented when he told her he was going to look for help.
Two separate funeral services were held for the mother and children at the request of the father. A private list was checked before mourners were allowed inside, upsetting relatives of the mother who wished for a joint service. A memorial of stuffed animals and flowers was quickly erected at the boat ramp, and three balloons were placed to represent the children at the mother’s funeral held a few days prior.
News: Funeral for Kids Drowned in Hudson
(Long Island, N.Y.) The funeral was held for the three toddler victims of their twenty-five-year-old mother’s plunging of a minivan off a boating ramp and into the Hudson River. While the mother and little ones perished, the eldest child was able to escape through the window.
On that fateful morning of April 12th a relative called the police to report a dispute between the twenty-five-year-old mother and the father of her three youngest children. By the time the police arrived at the household, she had already taken off with her children. Though the two were disputing and living separately, no prior incidents of domestic issues had been reported.
The oldest of the children and only survivor is a ten-year-old boy. The two male toddlers were five and two, and the only daughter was just a month short of her first birthday. The location was sixty miles north of New York City in a city of 28,000 residents called Newburgh. The boat ramp was located just a few blocks from the family’s apartment.
The courageous ten-year-old was able to roll down the window as the van was sinking by allegedly hitting the power button on the driver’s side. He then swam to shore and began to call for help. Experts on the case estimated that the vehicle had been completely submerged within two minutes of impact, and was not visible by the time the child got to safety.
The water was a frigid forty-five degrees and the cold, soaked boy was spotted by a driver in the area. He was brought to a firehouse and informed rescuers of the tragedy. The van was pulled onto the ramp by a tow truck, where it was learned that all of the passengers had perished.
Reports stated that the van went down in an estimated ten feet of water located twenty-five yards from shore. The passerby that aided the only survivor claimed to have rolled down her window after spotting the boy waving his hands and pleading for help. She ventured knee deep into the Hudson after communicating with the child, but didn’t see any traces of the vehicle within the murky waters.
The boy quickly relayed the story and claimed that he asked his mother what was happening as she speeded down the boat ramp toward the water. He said that his mother was on the phone with his grandmother to apologize for what she was about to do, but didn’t say what the action was. The grandmother called back as the mother climbed into the middle row of the minivan where her three youngest children had been stationed.
The ten-year-old, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat, claimed that they thought they were just going for a drive. When he perceived the situation, he tried to flee, but his mother held on to her kids inside the car. Multiple times she chanted: “if I’m going to die, you’re all going to die with me.”
Before escaping from the van, the child remembered his mother saying that she had made a terrible mistake as she attempted to reverse the vehicle. The car was unable to budge, and as the mother turned her attention to preventing the vehicle from sinking, she let her eldest son loose. She then consented when he told her he was going to look for help.
Two separate funeral services were held for the mother and children at the request of the father. A private list was checked before mourners were allowed inside, upsetting relatives of the mother who wished for a joint service. A memorial of stuffed animals and flowers was quickly erected at the boat ramp, and three balloons were placed to represent the children at the mother’s funeral held a few days prior.
