Goalpost falls on him at W. Side church event
A 9-YEAR-OLD boy died Sunday after a goalpost collapsed on top of him at a school in Hell’s Kitchen, cops said.
Tommaso Cerase was playing soccer at a church youth event at Park West High School on W. 50th St. near 11th Ave. about 10 a.m. He was hanging off the goalpost in an indoor gym before it fell on him, authorities said.
Police officers who rushed to the scene discovered Tommaso unconscious and unresponsive with severe head trauma.
He was rushed to Mount Sinai West hospital, but he could not be saved. The city medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of his death.
Tommaso was practicing with eight other children, supervised by three adults, at a program run by Juventus sources said.
Several of the children’s parents, including Tommaso’s mother, Barbara Riccardi, were present, sources said. They could not say whether the mom saw the Academy, police tragedy unfold.
“Today our dearest son Tommaso passed away in an unfortunate accident at his soccer practice,” the family said in a statement read by a friend outside the family’s Riverside Drive home.
“He was full of life and joy. At this moment the family is asking for respect for their privacy so they can continue their process of grieving.”
“He was a wonderful boy, that’s all,” said a family friend.
Mayor de Blasio, in a Facebook post, called Tommaso’s death “heartbreaking.”
“Our prayers are with his family,” De Blasio wrote.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña also issued a statement, saying, “This tragic incident is heartbreaking, and our thoughts are with this student’s family and school community during this devastating time.”
A source said the organization that obtained the permit to use the space supplied the equipment.
Neighbor Samantha Moshen, 34, said she was heartbroken.
“Hearing a little child dying is the worst possible thing,” Moshen said.