A man who fatally broke his neck after trying to jump over a New York City subway turnstile is being remembered as a loving father to his 4-year-old son.
Christopher De La Cruz, 28, broke his neck while trying to dodge the subway fare at the Forest Hills-71st Avenue train station in Queens on Sunday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Surveillance footage shows the horrifying moment when Cruz hits the ground headfirst and snaps his neck.
VIDEO SHOWS MOMENT WHEN MAN FATALLY BREAKS NECK WHILE JUMPING SUBWAY TURNSTILE
A GoFundMe page was set up by Cruz’s brother, Brian, to help assist family members with the cost of the funeral. As of Thursday, the page had raised more than $18,000 of its $30,000 goal.
“Chris was a vibrant, loving, free-spirited character. He was a son, a father, a friend, and my brother,” his brother wrote on the GoFundMe page. “In the wake of his death I have been reminded why I have been so lucky to have been his brother. He was the kindest soul. He was loved by so many people and impacted everybody that he came across.”
Brian expressed how much his brother loved his young son and said the remainder of the GoFundMe funds would go to a college fund for Cruz’s son.
“If there was one thing in this world that my brother wanted to be remembered for, it was his love for his son. Chris is survived by a 4 year old, Neithyn, who meant the world to him,” Brian explained. “We will never be able to (replace) him, but in honor of my brother we wanted the remainder of donations — after funeral costs — to go to his son. We will be setting up a college fund in his name.”
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Another family member named Daisy wrote on the page, “Your son will always know of your name, your love & all the love you ever gave him & will continue to give him from beyond this dimension. I love you.”
The page also contains several images of Cruz and his son.
