galeane29
04-17-2008, 06:25 AM
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8040140?MSNHPHCP>1=39002
A Mets fan leaving the game last night lost his balance while descending an escalator at Shea Stadium and plummeted two stories to his death - as his two young daughters watched in horror, authorities said.
Antonio Narainasami, 36, of Brooklyn, was with several other relatives on a family outing, when the tragedy took place around 10 p.m. in Section A near left field.
At home was the fan's wife, who is pregnant with their third child.
The victim, a Guyanese native, who lived in Cypress Hills and worked in air conditioning repair and installation, was taken to New York Hospital Queens, where he was pronounced dead.
His cousin, Kevin Prashad, who was there, said Narainasami had been walking down the escalator, which was turned off.
"He lost his footing somehow and then he went over the railing," said Prashad, 28.
"He had his kids with him - they were walking right behind him.
"We saw his whole body go over the side. There's no explanation for what happened there. It's like a nightmare."
But one police source said authorities are looking into the possibility the victim may have been sliding on the rubber railing.
"We were just on a night out to Shea Stadium - we're all diehard Mets fans, the whole family," Prashad said.
Added Vinnie Narainasami, another cousin:
"He was one of the best guys I've ever known," noting Narainasami was "really excited" about the game because "it's his favorite team."
That cousin said Narainasami was a team captain in the Legend Cricket Club.
"We have been advised of a tragic accident that resulted in the death of a fan attending tonight's game," said a statement from the Mets.
"The Mets, the City Parks Department and the New York Police Department are investigating the incident. Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to the fan's family."
The game celebrated Jackie Robinson Day, the 61st anniversary of the Brooklyn Dodger great breaking the major league color barrier.
In New York, two other fans have died at baseball games - both of them were sitting on the railings of escalators.
In May 1985, Mark Leddy, 21, of Yonkers, fell 100 feet off an escalator at Shea.
And in April 1999, a 37-year-old man fell more than 90 feet to his death at Yankee Stadium.
Such accidents, however, are a rarity at ballparks - one 2003 study published in the baseball journal "Nine" reported about 35 deaths from 1900 to 2000.
A Mets fan leaving the game last night lost his balance while descending an escalator at Shea Stadium and plummeted two stories to his death - as his two young daughters watched in horror, authorities said.
Antonio Narainasami, 36, of Brooklyn, was with several other relatives on a family outing, when the tragedy took place around 10 p.m. in Section A near left field.
At home was the fan's wife, who is pregnant with their third child.
The victim, a Guyanese native, who lived in Cypress Hills and worked in air conditioning repair and installation, was taken to New York Hospital Queens, where he was pronounced dead.
His cousin, Kevin Prashad, who was there, said Narainasami had been walking down the escalator, which was turned off.
"He lost his footing somehow and then he went over the railing," said Prashad, 28.
"He had his kids with him - they were walking right behind him.
"We saw his whole body go over the side. There's no explanation for what happened there. It's like a nightmare."
But one police source said authorities are looking into the possibility the victim may have been sliding on the rubber railing.
"We were just on a night out to Shea Stadium - we're all diehard Mets fans, the whole family," Prashad said.
Added Vinnie Narainasami, another cousin:
"He was one of the best guys I've ever known," noting Narainasami was "really excited" about the game because "it's his favorite team."
That cousin said Narainasami was a team captain in the Legend Cricket Club.
"We have been advised of a tragic accident that resulted in the death of a fan attending tonight's game," said a statement from the Mets.
"The Mets, the City Parks Department and the New York Police Department are investigating the incident. Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to the fan's family."
The game celebrated Jackie Robinson Day, the 61st anniversary of the Brooklyn Dodger great breaking the major league color barrier.
In New York, two other fans have died at baseball games - both of them were sitting on the railings of escalators.
In May 1985, Mark Leddy, 21, of Yonkers, fell 100 feet off an escalator at Shea.
And in April 1999, a 37-year-old man fell more than 90 feet to his death at Yankee Stadium.
Such accidents, however, are a rarity at ballparks - one 2003 study published in the baseball journal "Nine" reported about 35 deaths from 1900 to 2000.