Family Mourns Victim of Shea Escalator Fall

The pregnant wife of the man who fell from a Shea Stadium escalator to his death spoke to reporters outside her Brooklyn home. Antonio Narainasami, said his wife Ambeeka, was "a great father.... He had so much to look forward to."

Newsday reported 14-year-old daughter Emily showed reporters a photograph of her father. Emily, along with her 8-year-old sister and other relatives, saw her father fall and said, "Either he went to turn around to tell me something or to make sure we were behind him, and he just slipped. We screamed for help, me and my uncle."

However, investigators say the 36-year-old was actually "perched on a rail moments before he died," based on witness accounts. A police source told the Post, "Eyewitnesses said he was sitting on the railing and trying to slide down. It looks like he just lost his balance." But his widow, who was at home during the incident, said, "I don't think he would be sliding down on anything."

The escalators at Shea are "customarily turned off in the seventh inning to encourage fans to leave via the long walkways," an official told the Daily News. (Per Newsday, the Yankees say their ramps and escalators are available after the games.) The incident is being investigated not only by the Mets, the City Parks Department and NYPD, but also the US Consumer Product Safety Commission for possible escalator malfunction.

The escalator Narainsami fell from is expected to be in use during today's game, though another escalator he fell onto will likely be closed for repairs.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on April 17, 2008 9:43 AM

Comments [rss]

sammy69

listen 2 all u shitty people out dere who ever think that he was foolin around he wasnt okaii u people swear u kno everythin but i swear if i ever meet up with one of u no good losers who have no life but 2 put foolish comments when in reality u dont know shit i will buss u up and you wont even know wut hit u especially u leonwestbrook lets c how much mouth u got and 2 all the above i pray 4 da day wen sum shyt happens to your family n people mock it u freakin fools....let me c who has some sht 2 say now.....and by the way dat was my uncle sooo u fools i dare u 2 say somethin now and i was there so i should know what happened....test me and you will be sorry i promise u

leonwestbrook

I don't see how someone can "fall" on that escalator without leaning over. I really hope the Mets had a video camera on him to stop what is going to be a frivolous lawsuit.

I've been on that escalator before and you just can't fall without sliding over like that idiot probally did.

JacqueMehoff

I think there's a time in one's life when one should stop doing stupid things. we all die sometime and might as well not die from doing something stupid. shouldn't be that hard to do but it happens quite frequently. famous last words; watch this, hold my beer.

Albert Sharpton

That's where your wrong #14 , they are Guyanese Americans, not african americans. They don't just sue for their own wrong doings and blame the city for not doing enough.

Vertigone

"unfortunately he already spread his moron-dna."

A stupid mistake, sure, but the guy's dead, and now he and his offspring are mocked? Tough crowd. damn.

smitty

People make idiot mistakes, especially with the adrenaline of a baseball game, drinking, etc. You guys are very unforgiving.

Georgina

*sigh* she will most likely sue. even though it was his own stupidity that killed him. a friend of mine (it's true!) was at the game and said that everyone was commenting that the man was trying to slide down the escalator. the assclown.

CR

I love how the widow, who wasn't actually at the stadium, said "I don't think he would be sliding down on anything."

Whatever, she'll still sue for no net.

zodak

"Eyewitnesses said he was sitting on the railing and trying to slide down. It looks like he just lost his balance."

it was in bold above but somehow many of you missed it. it's his fault. unfortunately he already spread his moron-dna.

FrankMartin

Lets say he had "perched" himself on the rail. Silly thing to do, but he paid for it. No need to rub it in.

tsol

He posed like that to keep his mouth from falling open.

jaja007

If he was really that thoughtful and introspective, he would still be alive..

Rocknrope

So now the truth comes out, he was "playing on the railing."

Guest

Maybe this is a metaphor for how the Mets season will go... up high one minute, flat on their face at the bottom of the pile the next.

theevilone

I feel terrible that his poor daugthers witnessed this, but count me in as one who can't understand how you could lose your balance and flip over the side of the stationary escalator railing. He had to have been perched on the railing, in which case, it's a shame this guy was such an idiot. Kills himself and scars his daughters for life. Bravo, genius!