WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES FEBRUARY 1, 2018 3
Community donates to family of teen fatally hit by truck
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BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
As news of the tragic death of
13-year-old Ridgewood native
Kevin Flores spread throughout
the city, so too did the outpouring
of love and support for his grieving
family members.
While riding his bike at the corner
of Lewis and Jeff erson Avenues in Bedford
Stuyvesant on Jan. 26, less than a
mile from the Launch Expeditionary
Learning Charter School he attended,
Flores was struck and killed by an oil
truck. The resident of Seneca Avenue
later died at Interfaith Hospital.
The ensuing weekend left offi cials
and educators from Launch scrambling
to fi gure out the best way to talk
to their students about the incident
and come up with ways to help Kevin’s
family. Evan Kilgore, an assistant principal
at Launch and 15-year veteran in
the education sphere, said that he never
experienced the death of a student
thus far in his career.
“In any situation like this, as educators,
our fi rst response is how do we
help people?” Kilgore said. “One of the
most direct ways was to ensure that
money wasn’t an obstacle or distraction
in their grieving.”
On Sunday, Jan. 28, Kilgore started a
GoFundMe campaign on behalf of the
school and will donate all the proceeds
to Kevin’s family to help cover the cost
of his funeral. The original goal was to
raise $10,000, and by Wednesday, Jan.
31, there were already 269 donors that
gave a total of $13,175.
Kilgore updated the campaign,
thanking those who have donated for
their generosity, and raised the goal
to $20,000. He also further explained
how the money will be used: Kevin’s
mother is fi ve months pregnant.
Launch will also look for ways to
advocate for justice in Kevin’s death,
Kilgore said. The driver of the oil
truck, 28-year-old Philip Monfoletto,
did not have a proper license to be
operating the vehicle. Monfoletto
stayed at the scene of the accident,
and court records show he was arrested
and charged with aggravated
unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle
in the third degree and the second
degree, which are misdemeanor
off enses.
Court records also show that Monfoletto
was charged for unlicensed
operation of a motor vehicle twice in
2017. He is currently being held on
$2,500 bond or $2,500 cash bail and
is due back in court on March 14, 2018.
On Wednesday, state Senator Michael
Gianaris released a statement
in the wake of Kevin’s death calling
for the passing of a bill he introduced
in 2013 aft er another young boy was
killed when hit by a truck. According
to the press release, even with aggravating
circumstances, the charges
Monfoletto received can only become
a class E felony, punishable by a maximum
of four years’ imprisonment.
Gianaris’ proposed bill would increase
the penalty to a class D felony
if the accident results in a death.
When the students from Launch went
to their fi rst class on the Monday aft er
losing their classmate, Kilgore said
every room began the day by sitting
in a circle and talking about what happened.
There were plenty of questions
and some sadness, but the circles mostly
became a “wonderful space with lots of
laughter and celebration,” Kilgore said,
as Kevin’s friends shared stories and
said what they loved most about him.
Kevin is remembered for being a
driven and talented artist who was
already preparing his applications
for some of the city’s most selective
arts high schools. He loved his bicycle
and learned how to repair it himself
through the school’s Recycle-A-Bicycle
program. Kevin was also a big fan of
the clothing brand Supreme and was
inspired to work on his own fashion
designs.
In one such design, which Kilgore
shared on the GoFundMe page, a digital
drawing of a red rose with green
leaves has a quote written by Kevin
above it:
“Everyone has ups and downs in life,
all you gotta do is put your head up and
think positive, don’t ever let a person
put you down :)”
Photo courtesy of Evan Kilgore via
GoFundMe
Kevin Flores, 13, was killed on Jan.
26 when he was struck by a truck
while riding his bike.
