Tragedy struck in the Catskills on Thursday evening, with the horrific news that a young child was R”L struck and killed by an ice cream truck in Monticello.
4-year-old Shmuel Gelis Z”L, of Toms River NJ, was R”L Niftar at Catskill Regional Medical Center, around an hour after he was struck while riding his bike in a bungalow colony.
As YWN reported earlier, Catskills Hatzolah was on the scene at Birchwood Estates in Monticello, located on “Rod and Gun Club Road” just after 7:30PM, and found the child in traumatic arrest.
The Monticello Fire Department and MobileMedics responded as well, and a chopper was initially placed on standby in case it was needed. Due to his critical condition, Hatzolah Paramedics rushed him to the local hospital where doctors tried everything to save his life.
Unfortunately, he was Niftar shortly after.
An investigation is underway by the Sullivan County Sheriff Department.
Shmuel’s parents are R’ Moshe and Batsheva. Prior to moving to Toms River, they resided in Coventry Square in Lakewood.
The Levaya will take place at 10:30AM Friday morning, at the 7th Street Chapel in Lakewood. Kevurah will be in Lakewood.
Boruch Dayan HaEmmes…
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21 Responses
I know this place. Ridiculous they have no path for the kids to play and no gate on the road so kids all go on the road. Tragedy waiting to happen R’L.
ברוך דיין האמת
David –
A child was hit by a truck.
A child was niftar.
Hashem gave 2 ears and one mouth.
Think before you talk.
HKBH should give Chochas to the mishpachas.
The reality is, a bungalow colony is meant for kids to run around and have a great time. Ice cream trucks DO NOT belong in a bungalow colony PERIOD. You want ice cream go to the store.
Baruch Dayan Emes
Hashem should have rachmanos on us.
Many times multiple ice cream trucks come to a bungalow a day. Its a burden on parents and all in the colony and it needs to STOP NOW. We need a way to restrict them from entering the colonies.
@dovidtzvi Are you kidding me! It Is A Terrible loss that after A tragedy like this, action will be taken..As a homeowner in a development upstate, we all cringe when we see any ice cream trucks come in to OUR private property. We find certain drivers feel they have a right to “for Parnassah” drive fast around a colony road that children Do play on. Its Funny how you want to lock the Children in and Us “homeowners” are looking to lock the trucks OUT!! We have even tried putting up temporary gates, which suspiciously gets moved, or driven right around it. Hey Gotta Make A parnassa!!!
Please please let’s all get together and ban these arrogant ice cream trucks and their abnoxious music from our streets and colonies.
Please stop patronizing them. I personally have seen accidents with them involved where it was pure negligence.
WE DONT NEED OR WANT THEM!!!!
Someone please start a WhatsApp status campaign to ban together all communities and put a stop to it!!
They are dangerous and extremely unwanted – IGNORE THEM AND THEY WILL GO AWAY!!!
THis ice cream truck (Cones) comes to my bungalow colony several times a week. The driver is a nice dude. I can’t even begin to imagine how he feels right now.
mrboropark – today it’s an ice cream truck tomorrow it’s a car.
Yes the ice cream trucks dont belong driving fast in the colonies – thats something that should be addressed. But at the same time not putting up a gate to the road and refusing to make a seperate walking path in the middle of the bungalow circle for children to play on is plain and simple negligence. Sick and selfish negligence.
Dovid
Stop using this as a podium for your
Agenda.
A child was niftar.
Stop being selfish
A child was niftar
Sad tragedy!
Klaal Yisrael suffered the loss. A Yiddishe child was taken on Yom Kippur Katan of Elul. Oy vey! The parents, oy nebech! The driver also has a family and worked hard to provide for it! Sad story! May hashem have rachmanus on them all. May the new month bring only blessing to all Yiden.
Dovidtzvi
This is a horrific moment I was never in the mountains (so I don’t know if what you are saying is true)but I would be careful about pointing fingers and how you point fingers if you feel it’s absolutely necessary do it in a gentle way as it says words of Torah are heard in calmness (דברי תורה בנחת נשמעים)a better way of saying it would be let’s try keeping our kids safe by putting a fence so such things don’t happen again r”l I ask the moderates to remove Davidtzvis comment because it’s very hurtful
Bde! This is such a terrible tragedy. Does anyone here think about the pain the family is going through now? How about the driver of the ice cream truck?! I’m sure he’s in plenty of pain. Stop with the blaming! Are there no cars in your bungalow colonies? You don’t get deliveries from Amazon Prime all day? From the groceries? I personally also don’t like having to shell out money for ice cream just because “everyone else is getting” but I don’t think this is the time or place to discuss this. And yes, people do need to earn a parnassah, not only you. Some people struggle tremendously to earn a living while you sit in your “summer home”. Have some feelings for your fellow human beings, your fellow Jewish brother and sister. As another comment notes – today it’s an ice cream truck, tomorrow it’s a car. Stop the blaming, don’t you believe Hashem runs the world? Or is that also on vacation in the summer?
these trucks/vans have historically provided a very useful and needed service to bungalow colonies. Many families had only one car so during the week the mother was carless. So, vendors came to the colonies, selling everything from socks, clothes, etc that families needed but couldn’t go to town for.
If you put up a gate to block the trucks, remember that you’re also inconveniencing all residents and guests of the colony who leave and enter all day long. It’s possible that a resident or a guest left the gate open in frustration.
I don’t know the circumstances of the accident. Perhaps the colony can put in speed bumps to slow down vehicles? Can residents/parents make sure that all children on bicycles are wearing helmets?
Doesn’t make a difference if it’s an ice cream truck or a car, when driving in a colony or development people have to drive slow and look out for children. People have a lousy attitude thinking they can speed on the inner roads of a colony. I once motioned to a driver to slow down and she purposely sped up. How stupid can you be?
Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes. No one knows the ways of Hashem. All we can do is try to bring zechusim to Klal Yisrael. One way is to increase shalom among Klal Yisrael. This can be accomplished by shmiras halashon and judging others favorably.
This is not easy. Therefore we need to ask Hashem to help us. I have been distributing for free two laminated tefillah cards l’ilui nishmas Mindel Rivka bas Naftali, a”h, and now I will add l’ilui nishmas Shmuel ben Mordechai Eliyahu, a”h.
The first is tefillah al hadibbur, composed by the Chofetz Chaim, zt”l, which asks Hashem to help us avoid words of falsehood, flattery, strife, anger, arrogance, hurt, embarrassment, mockery, and other forbidden forms of speech throughout our day. The second tefillah asks Hashem to help us judge others favorably and find the good in others. It was composed by R’ Nosson, zt”l, student of R’ Nachman of Breslov, and is found on the wall by Kever Rochel.
If you would like to receive these free tefillah cards, please email your full name and address to [email protected]
May all our efforts together bring more shalom – and more zechusim – to Klal Yisrael and to the entire world.
My dear unclemo. If u read above there is only one person pointing fingers. Great job by him/her for making this whole bungalow colony feel guilty. And nebach the family is reading this too , and they are being blamed???? Get ur act together. Bottom line is NOONE belongs in a colony that they don’t own or rent in without permission. That goes for the ice cream trucks, and the occasional “visitors” coming for a stroll to see what the “left” are up to ( of course with no good intensions) And let’s not forget the “shnurers” who pop in on Tuesday afternoons while no men are around and all the woman are either coming or going to the pool. But hey let’s knock on their doors, see if we can get $1, and a quick thrill. BOTTOM LINE ITS PRIVATE PROPERTY. NOONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO COME IN WITH OUT PERMISSION from the establishment!
Sorry..meant to write Shmuel ben Moshe Eliyahu.
In response to Uncle Mo’s comment, please recite chapter 142 in Tehillim – which is in today’s Tehillim portion. HaShem is in control. HaShem Yerachem this is so painful! Please don’t let this happen ever again! Please forgive us for all our aveiros. This is so painful for everyone in Klall Yisroel at this time. It is very very hard and difficult on the parents, Bubbe’s & Zayde’s, cousins, siblings, the list of people that knew this beautiful child Shmuel, Z’L.
To all complaining about Dovid Tzvi comment
All he is saying is that it is not normal for Any car to come in the colony till the house
Country is made for the kids to run free
I know this place well and asked along time ago a resident that owns a house there how he feels about that cars drive in the colony how can children be left running free
He said it really is very scary there is speed bumps but it’s still scary
This development was designed very stupid unlike all the new ones that the cars can reach every but still have a gate that no cars come close to kids playing
Jack green
David Tzvi
Thank you all for addressing
Everything and anything that really is not
Important.
Please use your real names.
And again-
This is not a podium for your agenda.
It’s about a child that was niftar.
Let’s use this time to console the families
And remember it’s Elul.
Ah gut Gebetched yor.
And a Refuah Shelamo