Deceased plumber’s ashes going down ballpark toilets

NEW YORK — A New York City man is on a mission to flush the cremated remains of his lifelong friend — a plumber — down ballpark toilets across the country.

Tom McDonald said it’s a fitting tribute for Roy Riegel.

The two baseball fans were childhood friends in Queens, not far from — wait for it — Flushing Meadows, where the Mets play.

Like baseball, this endeavor has rules: The game has to be in progress when McDonald sprinkles the ashes into the toilet. So far, he’s done that at 16 stadiums.

Riegel also was a music fan: In Cleveland, McDonald flushed ashes at both Progressive Field and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In Chicago, McDonald did his duty at a White Sox game, skipping Wrigley Field because the Cubs are longtime rivals of the Mets.

“I know people might think it’s weird, and if it were anyone else’s ashes, I’d agree,” McDonald said. “But for Roy, this is the perfect tribute to a plumber and a baseball fan and just a brilliant, wild guy.”

Riegel’s family agreed to share a portion of the ashes after his death in 2008. McDonald spoons out a little each time, from an old peanut can wrapped in Mets ticket stubs.

Hank Riegel, of Waterloo, New York, said his brother would appreciate the offbeat gesture.

“He’d be like, ‘Oh, yeah, do that,”’ Riegel said.