Brooklyn Man, Roman Pirozek Jr., Pronounced Dead After Being Struck In The Head By Remote-Controlled Helicopter
Police in Brooklyn say 19-year-old Roman Pirozek Jr. was killed by a remote-controlled helicopter that he was operating during an aerial stunt that went terribly wrong. The incident that occurred in Calvert Vaux Park, a favorite hangout spot for toy plane and helicopter enthusiasts, has been ruled an accident.
Pirozek was with three other helicopter enthusiasts when he lost control of the $2,000 toy helicopter, which then struck him in the head and partially decapitated him, the Wall Street Journal reported. The teen was a member of the Seaview Rotary Wings Club, of which his father was the vice president.
“He was the best person ever. He had the biggest heart. I think he was just doing it because it was his day off,” Pirozek's sister, Amy Pirozek, told reporters. “He always protected me. He was a good brother. I’ll never forget that.”
The resident of Queens had his own YouTube channel on which he posted videos and photos (one is below) that showcased similar stunts that he has done in the past. An aerial picture of the ghastly scene shows the twisted wreckage of the helicopter just a few feet away from a body covered by a sheet.
The helicopter model that Pirozek was flying had a reported 4.5-foot wingspan and could reach up to 60 mph while performing evasive mid-air tricks. “He went to good parts of the country to shows — he loved it,” Pirozek's neighbor, Victor Tommaso, told the Wall Street Journal. “It was his father’s hobby and he picked it up from him. His father must be destroyed.”