Teen killed by toy helicopter in New York City park
A 19-year-old Queens man was killed Sept. 5, 2013, when the toy remote control helicopter he was flying struck him in a New York City park.
A 19-year-old Queens man was killed when the toy helicopter he was flying by remote control struck him in the head.
It's thought to be only the second such death in the United States.
Roman Pirozek Jr. was pronounced dead Thursday at a park in Brooklyn where hobbyists often fly remote control aircraft.
Initial reports suggest he was hit in the head and neck by the helicopter's blade.
Police don't suspect any foul play. They didn't immediately release the model and make of the helicopter he was flying.
A family friend told the New York Daily News that Pirozek shared a passion for flying model helicopters with his father, who is a vice president of the local Seaview Rotary Wings Helicopter Club.
"He was like a brother and a son to me,” Dino Spadaccini told the Daily News. “He flew with me as a teen. It’s just an unfortunate event that someone so young, so full of life, enjoying something is gone.”
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