Victim of fatal fall Saturday in Newark identified
The fatal fall of a Massachusetts college student from the roof above a Newark party Saturday has some residents asking if more can be done to prevent such tragedy.
Police were called to 153 W. Main St. shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday to find a 20-year-old, Massachusetts man had fallen from the roof of the three story home. He was unresponsive and taken to Christiana Hospital where he died.
The man was identified as Cohasset, Massachusetts native Willem (Will) Golden in a statement from upstate New York's Skidmore College, where he was a freshman student and hockey player.
“It’s a very difficult time for the community. All the kids have been mourning all day,” Cohasset High School lacrosse coach James Beaudoin told The Patriot Ledger. “For us, he was a really special kid.”
The fatal fall came as hordes of University of Delaware students and other young people were celebrating St. Patrick's Day weekend with alcohol.
It is unclear why Golden was on the roof of the home or if alcohol was a factor in the fall. Newark Police did not respond to repeated requests for information on Sunday. Neighbors said by 9 a.m. Saturday there was a party going on at the home with young people clad in green drinking outside the house.
"Partying at that house is very regular. Yesterday was not unique," said Charles Brecht, a tutor who lives next door to the home. "I hope the school or the city will put some regulation in place to limit the partying to stop a death like this."
Nobody answered a knock to the home's door Sunday and a young man walking out of the house later declined to comment. The home is not a registered fraternity house. It is owned by Anthony Scarangello II, who could not be reach for comment.
The University of Delaware chapter of the Sigma Pi fraternity advertised a spring rush event hosted at the home. A request for information from the chapter went unanswered. The house is not registered in the city's database of rental properties.
"As far as we know it is not registered as a frat house, but we consider it a frat house. They always have parties and stuff," said Lauren Winstel, a energy and environmental management senior who lives in the home next door.
Winstel lives on the third floor of the neighboring house, which is owned by a local Presbyterian Church and is home to a campus ministry. There are no rails around the flat portion of the roof the accident took place on. On Sunday, a yellow Land Shark beer bucket with open, glass bottles could be seen on the roof where Golden fell.
"They are consistently on the roof," Winstel said.
Residents said St. Patrick's Day celebrations are a particularly sloppy time in the city and wondered if there is something city government or the police could do to help prevent such an incident.
"The city needs to contain the partying. The owners of the properties really need to take responsibility," said West Main Street resident Deborah Worthing, who lives next to a home particularly apt to partying.
She said it is not uncommon to encounter young people relieving themselves and even having her property vandalized by drunken youths. Calling the police helps for only a spell, she said.
"We want to prevent tragedies like this from happening, so we’ll allow (Newark Police Department) to conduct a thorough investigation before assessing any changes that may need to be made based on their findings," said City Manager Carol Houck, via a written statement.
Houck said the city works with the University of Delaware to help educate students on the dangers of alcohol. Mayor Polly Sierer has previously spoken about difficulties conducting code inspections in student housing dominated by absentee landlords.
"It is heartbreaking," Newark resident Amy Keach said. "My kids are coming up and they will be that age soon. If there was a glaringly obvious answer, I would be all over it."
Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.