Newark death highlights difficulty policing illegal decks

After a Massachusetts college student fell to his death this weekend from a rooftop being used as an illegal deck, Newark residents said they suspect many use their roofs in the same way and city officials are asking for help reporting similar, dangerous situations.

"As far as preventing something like this, I'm at a loss," said Newark City Manager Carol Houck.

Neighbors said the West Main Street roof from which Willem (Will) Golden fell Saturday was a regular hangout spot for the house's residents and that seeing students and other young people using roofs in student-dominated areas is a common sight.

Houck said residents can help the city be more proactive in its enforcement of deck and patio rules by reporting roofs being improperly used.

"It would be worth reaching out to the landlords and asking them about firming up their provisions about things like staying off the roof ... ," Houck said. "Any neighbor that sees something like that, we would certainly appreciate a call to alert us so we can do something and be more proactive."

When city building code officials inspected the home in June, they did not find evidence of the roof being used as an illegal patio.

Police were called to the home at 153 W. Main Street shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday to find Cohasset, Massachusetts, native Willem (Will) Golden, a freshman hockey player at Skidmore College in upstate New York, in an unresponsive state after the fall. He later died at Christiana Hospital.

"At this point, our detectives are going to continue to investigate it," said Sgt. Gerald J. Bryda, a spokesman with Newark police. "There is no foul play at this point. We are looking at this from a police perspective as a very tragic accident."

The death came as droves of University of Delaware students and other youths were celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Neighbors said the house from which Golden fell was the scene of a party that drew dozens as early as 9 a.m. Bryda said by the time of the fall, about 15 to 20 people were in the home.

He said witnesses reported that Golden, who was a guest at the house, went on the roof alone, slipped and tumbled to his death. A light rain that had just fallen may have contributed to the fall, Bryda said.

"Nobody that I know of has indicated exactly why (he was on the roof) but ... it did appear common that people went out on the roof of that residence," Bryda said.

Neighbors said seeing the residents of the house hanging out on the roof was a regular occurrence.

"They are consistently on the roof. I live on the third floor and they are always out there. It is a regular thing," said  Lauren Winstel, an energy and environmental management senior who lives in the home next door.

City building code requires decks and patios to have protective railing. The roof from which Golden fell had no such protections. On Sunday, a yellow LandShark beer bucket with open, glass bottles could be seen on the roof where Golden fell. A barbecue grill could also be seen fastened to the roof outside a third story window, which is also a code violation, officials said.

The property was inspected by code enforcement officials in June. Dave Culver, code enforcement manager for the city, said if inspectors had seen evidence of people hanging out on the roof, like chairs or other things, the property owner would have been cited and notified.

"There were several violations on the site. The most serious was the fire escape needed some repair," Culver said.

That fire escape has since been repaired. Culver said they have not returned to determine if other violations, which he described as minor, have been remedied. The property does have a permit to allow rentals.

The city admitted that a glitch online record-keeping over the weekend led to a finding that the property was not permitted for rental. Culver said it is and the glitch has been fixed.

"We do not encourage people to be on their roofs," Culver said.

Students say it is common for gatherings to end up on rooftops.

"This is extremely tragic, but all through the city you will see people on roofs," said Connor McTear, a junior who lives down the street from the scene of the accident. "It happens everywhere. There were people on roofs everywhere this weekend."

It is unclear if there will be any legal liability on the part of Anthony Scarangello II, the owner of the home who could not be reached for comment. His father, who died in 2008, was a university professor and owned rental properties in the city.

Bryda said the investigation is ongoing and investigators are awaiting the results of toxicology tests.

"That aspect is still going to be looked into," he said.

With land limited, builders target Delaware golf courses

Officials for the University of Delaware have sought to distance the institution from the incident noting the home is not a registered fraternity house. However, the home is listed as the only address on 2014 nonprofit tax documents for the university's fraternity chapter of Sigma Pi, which advertised a spring rush event at the address.

"My understanding is it is rented out by a number of Sigma Pi members. It is not listed as an official house, but as a place where bunch of brothers chose to live," said Jason Walker, interim executive director of the national Sigma Pi organization based in Lebanon, Tennessee. "We are investigating along with the school to try to figure out what happened and our condolences go out to the families of those involved."

The university's chapter of Sigma Pi has not returned requests for information on Sunday or Monday.

Walker said Golden was best friends with a local member of Sigma Pi. A vigil has been scheduled at Golden's school, Skidmore College, in New York for Tuesday.

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.