Teen killed after sticking head through party bus roof near George Washington Bridge

new york daily news

What a tragic story of teens not thinking about consequences, even after being warned. 

Article thanks to: By Kerry Wills AND Shayna Jacobs / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

A St. Francis Prep student was killed when his head hit an overpass as he clowned around on a New Jersey-bound party bus and popped out of a hatch in the roof near the George Washington Bridge Friday night, authorities said.
Daniel Fernandez, 16, an incoming junior at the Queens Catholic school, died at Hackensack University Medical Center from severe head trauma shortly after the 6:45 p.m. incident, law enforcement sources said.
Sixty-five teens boarded the double-decker bus in at the school in Fresh Meadows and had reached Fort Lee, N.J., on their way to a Sweet 16 party when the accident occurred, police said.
“When the bus went under the Fletcher Ave. overpass, the boy’s head struck the underside of that overpass,” a Port Authority spokesman said.

The security guard on the bus said he warned the exuberant teens to leave the rooftop hatch alone.

“I told them not to open the hatch, like three or four times, but kids, they don't understand,” said Alex Franco, 41, who was the security guard on the bus.
After warning them to keep away, Franco said he headed downstairs to tell the driver that it was getting too hot in the bus.
“It was very hot. Everybody was dancing. Two, five minutes I was downstairs,” Franco explained.
“Then I heard two guys screaming, ‘Oh my God, oh my God,’” and he ran upstairs.
“I saw him on the floor. His face was like, no teeth. I said, ‘Who is this guy?’”
In the pandemonium, Franco said he tried to move the other teens downstairs as the bus came to a halt.
Leon McKiver, an emergency medical technician, was passing the scene and stopped to help. “I’m still traumatized that this happened and especially that this happened to a young kid,” McKiver told NBC4.
Asked if the kids were consuming alcohol, Franco said, “If they drink, I don’t know.” He insisted that the passengers were checked for booze before they boarded, and that no alcohol was served on the bus.
No other passengers suffered any physical injury. All were transported to a Port Authority administration building nearby, where they were questioned and released to their parents.

The accident and subsequent investigation caused massive backups for New Jersey bound vehicles.

Friends and schoolmates discussed the horrific event on Twitter under hash tags “#staystrongdan” and “#prepfam” in the hours after the tragedy.
“Sitting here with your blood on my foot wishing this was all a bad dream. I love you so much dan you were there for me till the last second,” tweeted VBudz.
“I don’t know how I’m gonna be able to function after this. Scarred forever,” she added.
The party-going teens were discussing the fun they were hoping to have before the night was derailed by tragedy.
“Double decker partybus to polysss,” VBudz tweeted at 2:34 p.m.
“Everything did Nails done, hair done Everything did Oh, you fancy, huh? ? ” wrote LovePolzz, the apparent birthday girl.
Cops identified Fernandez as a resident of Sayreville, N.J., but his Facebook page said he’s from Woodside, Queens. His family could not be reached for comment.
Representatives of St. Francis Prep could not immediately be reached for comment, while the phone went unanswered Friday night at Designer Limousines of Port Washington, L.I., the company that operates the massive bus.

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