A funeral was held last week at the Transcend Worship Center for a two-year-old boy who fell 20 stories to his death after a window gave way.
Justin Christian El-Abiad died in Newark at the Elizabeth Towers in Newark where he lived with his mother and two siblings. His funeral in the Irvington church was attended by Mayor Tony Vauss, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore “Ted” Stephens II, Newark Councilman Patrick Council, Pastor Steffie Bartley representing the National Action Network and Orange City Council President Adrienne Wooten, who was representing State Sen. Britnee Timberlake.
“I can’t even imagine being in the place of the mother,” said Transcend Pastor Jerry Smith. “To experience something like this is unnatural.”
The child’s death has prompted a lawsuit from his mother and new legislation from Timberlake, who has proposed legislation that would require certain safeguards in residential rental buildings.
The lawsuit alleges the building’s owners replaced broken windows with thin sheets of Plexiglas and did not install window guards, which are required.
Before the accident, the mother complained to building management about the windows, according to her attorney, David Sirotkin.
Vauss was one of the first to speak at the service, expressing condolences on behalf of the township to everyone in the family.
“The best advice I can give is to lean on each other, support each other,” Vauss said.
Stephens noted that the death is not a criminal case and he wasn’t sure if he could make the funeral but “felt called to be here.”
“I saw this tiny casket and I was reminded why I was here,” Stephens said. “When we look at this casket, we know there is a baby inside, that it is a life that has not been fulfilled. My job is to make sure we keep as many tiny, precious lives as possible. We keep as many children as safe as possible so we don’t have any tiny caskets.”
Wooten, who is a legislative aide to Timberlake, noted that the senator is days away from giving birth to her fourth child and expressed her condolences.
She also said Timberlake, who represents Bloomfield, East Orange, Glen Ridge, and Orange, has sponsored two bills related to the child’s death.
Timberlake introduced the “Justin Christian El-Abiad Act,” which would require landlords to automatically install window guards in apartments with children or residents with disabilities. A companion bill from Assemblyman Kenyatta Stewart would also increase inspections and penalties for noncompliance.
“This is not just a civil rights issue, this is a human rights issue,” Barltey said, before exhorting those in attendance to “stand with this mother.”
Smith concluded the spoken part of the service noting that “love is a memory that cannot be stolen.”
In a brief press conference after the service, Darryl Jeffries of DLJ Communications Group, said that “today was first and foremost about honoring this child but his life raises serious questions about child safety.”
Bartley said during the press conference that the child’s mother had gone to the landlord to request help with the windows. He also noted the window was a kind that was not even supposed to open at all.
“The mother went to them and they did nothing,” Bartley said. “We need to make sure justice is given to Justin.”
Smith said his church has been interested in this issue for some time and was happy to help out when Chapels of Eden, which took care of funeral arrangements, approached him about participating.
“Where there is no justice, there is no peace,” Smith said. “Those who took part in this should be held accountable.”
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