New York – The entire Waterbury community, including those who live in the community, those enrolled at the yeshiva and former talmidim of Yeshiva Ateres Shmuel are reeling in shock and disbelief following the tragic crash last night that took the lives of two high school students and thousands are expected to attend the funerals that will take place this afternoon in Borough Park.
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Daniel King, 15, and Eli Schonbrun, 16, both residents of the East 30’s in Flatbush, were pronounced dead at the scene following the early morning rollover of a van that was carrying eleven bochurim from both the high school and the beis medrash back to the yeshiva. The boys were traveling on I-84 in a 1998 Ford Club Wagon, a vehicle notorious for rollovers, and Connecticut State Police are investigating the accident.
The levaya for Eli Schonbrun will take place 2 PM this afternoon at Shomrei Hachomos, located 4218 Fort Hamilton Parkway at the corner of 43rd Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway. The levaya for Dani King is currently scheduled for 3:15 PM at Shomrei Hadas, 3803 14th Avenue. Those times are subject to change as the bodies of the two victims have yet to be released.
“We are in a state of shock and mourning,” Rabbi Shalom Siegfried, Vice President of Yeshiva Ateres Shmuel told VIN News. “We have the families and everyone in our tefillos and we hope to be able to move forward.”
Rabbi Siegfried confirmed that the driver of the van, was a bochur in the yeshiva and unconfirmed reports have his age as 22 years old. Chai Lifeline has been brought in to provide support and counseling to the bochurim at the yeshiva.
This is the second time that a car crash has claimed the life of a bochur in the Waterbury yeshiva. Shaya Twerski was killed in March 2003 and a shtender bearing his name remains in the yeshiva.
“This is a trauma, every mother’s worst nightmare,” said the mother of a former talmid.
Please say tehillim for Yisroel ben Nechama Matel and Mayer Aryeh Leib ben Perel Hindel. They were injured in the van and need our prayers for a refuah.
hashem yishmor!!! Torah, Tefilla, Mitzvos and yiras shamayim… we must do teshuva now.
This is tragic.
I don’t mean to start arguments but I have to ask- Were the two boys wearing their seatbelts?
This is eerily reminiscent of the similarly tragic summer camp van accident that occurred in August 2007 in Maine.
it’s so shocking. here you have these innocent bochrim going to yeshiva to learn torah as this is the news that the parents get. it’s unimaginable to think what the parents go through.
may hashem comfort them amongst the mourners of zion and jerusalem
Such a sad way to start the day with a triple tragedy. These two and the little boy from monsey… Three precious young lives were torn away. All we can do is cry and pray that this should stop and the bereaved families should be able to bare the pain. Its a real sad day!
Boroch Dayan Haemet!
To #1 - The law enforcement authorities haven’t even concluded their investigation, before you start throwing out blame for their deaths. It is extremely insensitive on your part to do so. A shanda!
Does anyone know the parents names of the boys
My heart goes out to the family’s involved. The boys who were nifter were very good yeshiva boys and will be representing us in shamayim now
BD’E
This is a horendous tragedy.
May Hashem comfort the families and all of Klaall Yisroel.
There was aSchonbrun family who lost a son in Lakewood about a year or two ago while he was in Yeshiva.
Is this the same family?
The waterbury community is like one large family. When a tragedy befalls it, the whole community shares the pain. Bde. To #13 how insensitive of you, a community just lost two of its members, families lost loved ones, and u start with your mussar schmooz!!! Did it ever occur to you that maybe the boys were waiting anxiously to get back to yeshiva, after not having electric for a full week! Did you ever drive to waterbury?? If you did than you would know that it is possible that they left at a very reasonable time, just the traffic held them back!! Before you shoot off your mouth with disgusting comments, maybe you should be dan lkav zchus! We have to accept what hashem is testing us with, and cope with it. Let us learn and daven for their neshamos!!
This tragedy has nothing to do with seatbelts. It has to do with this web site and other sites that are filled with loshon hora, denigration of rabanim and sinas chinam. I have made a commitment to stay away from all these blogs and devote my time learning and being a better father. I feel to blame for getting caught up in this web and I hope some of you see the light as well. the reason why I say some of you and not all of you, becuae there are those that are beyond help. Lets face it, deep down, we know that this site is poisen and the root cause to a lot of our problems
#13 Sane is correct but the timing of his remarks are totally inappropriate and therefore the message will not be received. What if they had a good reason for driving so late? Attend a simcha, someone got sick, or maybe they left earlier and because the driver became tired, they rested and resumed their trip later in the night. We need to help people and educate on safety but wait for a better time.
This is so terrible sad. Hashem have mercy. Spare us this awful suffering and comform the families of those boy. Ugh. I wish that we have no more of this terrible terrible suffering.
The bochrim made a great Kiddush Hashem learning in Brooklyn when they had no electricity back in CT and the boys were heading back to yeshiva. There are no words to console the great Waterbury kehila but our tefilos are with you.
very very sad. i know Mrs. Schonbrun’s family. Wonderful, special torah’dig pple. This family has had their share of major major tzaros. Mrs. Chanie Schnobrun (Lerman) was a daughter of a very chashuv man that succumbed to cancer a few years ago. He was a young man in his 50’s. Her sister a mother of 8 was killed in a car crash a few years ago. And now Chanie’s son. It should be her oldest child. This is the most heartbreaking, heartwrenching story. Such lovely people. What hastaros panim; we must do teshuva. These kids and families are amazing pple.
Bad week for Connecticut Yeshivas. First Bridgeport, now Waterbury. Hashem is not happy
A terrible tragedy and the posters on this wall have to fight amongst themselves looking for reasons. I’m trying to decide what’s worse.
For all we know, this could have been the test Hashem wanted us to take. To see if we as a community would actually mourn in unison or just bicker with each other. Just terrible.
This is heartbreaking! doe’s anyone know if they’re Tiferes Yisroel families?
It’s very sad what happened. People on the boards need to stop dwelling on who what why when and where…and just offer prayers for those that were taken so suddenly. This morning, when I looked at VIN and saw the news, my first thought before clicking the link was I hope it wasn’t a particular person that I know that goes there (turns out that particular person went back up to school earlier). Again, stop focusing on who what when why and where, and offer prayers.
Remark to #13 whats your problem why does every terreble thing that happen in our community especially to youngsters has to have a negetive reason..Why does it have to do with any type of behavior just beacuse they left to yesh at midnight ..Are you some type of primitive thinking person what has all the nonsence that you write about got to do with the fact that Am Yisrael just lost 2 precious young lives & that we are all in mourning …Hashem ways are mistiyrious and we dont know why these 2 boys had to leave this world all we can do right now is pray for refuah shleima to all the other passangers that were hurt and be there is every way for the families who lost thier sons…#13 think before you say anything stupid..
To # 13 Maybee if there were less people like you in am Yisrael who are so fast to judge others negetivly for no reoson there would be less tragidies like this ..We need to practise more Ahavas chinam then sinaat chinamm…shame shame shame on you..
“Klal Yisroel Devastated…”
You know, I bet even 1 or 2 non-Jews were “devastated” to learn of this tragedy. May the families be comforted.
It is pointless to harp on the details when the tragedy is so fresh. The Waterbury kehila is torn and there are no words to express to ease the pain. There will be plenty of time to discuss the circumstances and who was wearing what and why were they there and so on. Now is not the time or the place and those that ask such questions simply don’t feel the pain for whatever reason so their focus is not on the families, rabbeim and friends who are so devastated by this loss. May all those hurting be comforted as the kol Torah in Waterbury will only take chizuk from knowing these boys and the yeshiva will continue to be a great source of pride for all of Klal Yisroel.
Please say tehillim for Avraham Ben Bracha who sustained severe injuries in the accident and will be going through extensive surgery in a short while….Refuah Shleimah!
Guys this is so sad and we are making it worse.
Everyone think to yourself what you may but let’s not get petty and stupid before the bodies are even in the ground.
Go home and try to be a better jew today that’s all.
Achdus guys, come on please………
so sad. I hope their families will be comforted during this terrible time.
First a child is struck and killed by vehicle in Monsey, then these bachurim from Flatbush are killed on their way back to Yeshiva and now a toddler in Eretz Yisrael burns to death in her family vehicle in their own driveway!
According to Rambam (Hil. Taanis 1:1-3), it is a positive commandment of the Torah for every individual to cry out and search his ways at a time of national calamity, for G-d visits calamities upon Israel to inspire each Jew to repent for his misdeeds. If someone fails to recognize that tragedies occur through an act of G-d rather [than] through happenstance, he is considered cruel, because he will not be motivated to improve his behavior. as a result, G-d will beset Israel with more troubles, until all are motivated to change their ways.
#52 . you are wrong & #34 is right. both boys & their brothers went to yeshiva tiferes yisroel for elementary school. the whole flatbush is in mourning as well as yidden everywhere.
This was a gzeira and YOU ARE ALL MISSING THE POINT. This has nothing to do with the details of the accident. These boys were good boys. For those that are dissecting details clearly are those that need to learn that HKB”H is doing it so that we get closer to him and learn that his word , is THE WORD. There are many things that will happen as messages to us yidden and it is comforting for a basar vedom to begin trying to understand the reasons. When reasons are not understood (cus their simply above us, min hashamayim), they begin pointing fingers and making their own reasoning. cus we are a generation of Instant. Instant knowledge, reason or gratification. We have to connect to hashem and we will thus learn that some things are greater than our understanding and power; let go of your control of trying to know everything. You will thus be comforted and strengthened and get closer to hashem by knowing that this was meant to happen. And this was meant as a message for us to be Yefashfesh Bemaseinu. Too many people commenting here are unfortunately missing the point. We cannot afford more karbanos. STOP THE BICKERING AND GET TO WORK!!!!!!
The van they were traveling in was a death trap. That particular model has been known to roll over for years. It is amazing they are still allowed on the road. The van is very popular with organizations and livery services. If there are other organzations out there still using this, they need to get rid of them immediately – or never fill it to the maximum passenger capacity. There have been stories about this type of van and the rollovers they are involved with on “60 Minutes” and other TV programs.
No one is to blame for this tragic accident. In the end, it was the will of Ribono Shel Olam that these two neshomos return to their Maker. Hashem caused the snow storm nine days ago which caused the power outage in Waterbury which caused the yeshiva to send the boys home for the week until the power was restored which caused the van to drive back to Waterbury. We are not zocheh to understand Hashem’s ways nor do we have the right to question Him. We must all, once again, take a good, honest look at ourselves individually and as a K’lal and see what we can do to become better Jews.
Hashem should give the parents and all the boys involved the strength to survive this terrible tragedy. I recall a similar accident years ago in a boys camp in the catskills resulting in the tragic death of one of the boys. It was later discovered that the camp was missing numerous Mezuzohs on their various doors. As well, a school in Erets Yisroel on a camping trip and were ambushed in Maalot with countless deaths of the students. again the building they were in lacked Mezuzohs. The Rabbi mentioned that this is unfortunately not the first tragedy of this nature at the Yeshiva, perhaps it might be an idea to check the mezuzohs of the yeshivah building. May we never hear of such tragedies again.
Reply to number 58:thank you for coming out and sharing ur experience. I was thinking of the parents who had lost their son in the maine accident. It must be really hurting you now.the pain must be unbearable. The parents of this accident are relying on ur help,of how u and ur family coped. Yes seatbelts do save lives.but Hasham has his ways. As u noted and I have heard the same phrase repeating itself from parents who have unfortunately lost a child “that’s what Hashem wanted”this I was told is some ppl tools to help them through. May Hashem grant u and ur family with all the strength u need to help the ppl who r unfortunately now in the situation u were in and still in. May we here gut besiros from all of us in klal yisroel.may Hashem have rachmunus on us.
B”H
BDE. Not sure why I feel compelled to even answer the people who question if they were wearing a seatbelt. I have no idea if they were or were not wearing but there is no law for a teen of that age to wear a seatbelt in the backseat.
I am sure many of the people who asked the “seatbelt” question don’t always wear seatbelts themselves in back seats.
Only because people are reading this I think everyone should be warned of the serious dangers of the large vans. See websites like vanangels dot com for more details about why we have to all be EXTRA careful when driving those big vans. I personally drive one on a regular basis and was suprised to learn that the air pressure in rear tires is like 80 + and the front is like 55. Most tire guages don’t even go past 60.
If you ever drive one of them now or in the future — take a few minutes to read about how to make them as safe as possible.
#21 how do you know in waterberry they have all these faults?