A 9-year-old boy fell to his death and a 13-year-old was injured after part of the deck they were playing on gave way, prosecutors said.
The two boys, possibly cousins, were playing on the front deck of the town home on Brighton Avenue in Perth Amboy at about 5:30 p.m. when a railing gave way, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.
Both children fell about 12 feet; prosecutors said the 9-year-old died soon afterward. The 13-year-old was taken to the hospital and was conscious and alert Thursday night.
Neighbors told News 4 that the boy was in the fourth grade, and that family members could be seen saying "I lost him" in Spanish as they re-entered the home later on Thursday night.
Adults were home when the deck collapsed, prosecutors said. Authorities are now interviewing everyone at the home at the time and the building's landlord, though criminality is not suspected in the case.
“It looks to be a tragic accident at this point,” Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey said at the scene.
It's unclear what caused the collapse.
