A well-known hockey student died last week after being hit by a train in his hometown.
Elliott Kropf, 16, is being remembered by his family as loving and passionate, a week after the tragedy in New Canaan, Connecticut.
He died after being struck by a Metro-North train at the Talmadge Hill station around 11:10 p.m. Saturday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority police confirmed in a statement.
According to the police, it appears that the collision had no criminal aspect. The high school student was pronounced dead at the scene.
The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Elliott’s cause and manner of death were pending. The New Canaan Superintendent of Schools praised the teen for his prowess on the ice and as a student.
Elliott Kropf, 16, is being remembered by his family as loving and passionate after he was hit by a train in New Canaan, Connecticut, last week
Elliott was a standout on the New Canaan High School hockey team, where he was a senior and was also an “outstanding student,” officials said
“My heart breaks for Elliott, his family and everyone who knew and loved him,” said Bryan Luizzi, who revealed that schools in the city would be delayed two hours on Monday due to the boy’s death.
“Let us think of them and pray for them together as we support each other during this difficult time.”
The official concluded by noting that the senior had been both a “strong student” and an “excellent athlete” during his three years at New Canaan High School, while still making time for his friends and family to talk to counselors and staff.
Athletics director Jay Egan said all New Canaan High School sporting events were postponed for Monday as locals came to terms with the unexplained tragedy.
“There are really no words for this,” Egan said in his own statement. “You lose a family member, that’s what it is. It’s hard on everybody. It’s hard on the students, it’s hard on the teachers, and everybody just wants to do the right thing.”
The day he died, Elliott was playing in a hockey game in a fall league not affiliated with his school but featuring many of the same players, said his father, Scott Kropf. Stamford’s attorney.
Afterward, he went home to shower, go out to dinner and spend time with a friend, his father said.
At some point he left again, but he never came back.
Elliot is seen here with his parents Scott Kropf and Ngoc Dinh. “He loved life, he was passionate, when he loved you, you knew it,” his mother said
“He loved life, he was passionate, when he loved you, you knew it,” his mother Ngoc Dinh told the local newspaper this week in an interview. “He compared the team [the New Canaan High School Rams] and friends as family.
“We thank everyone for their love for him.”
The couple, together with their two younger sons, Charlie (15) and Harrison (9), are now trying to come to terms with the tragedy, despite the overwhelming support they have received.
While the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, Krop’s father said his “last day was beautiful,” noting the time the teen spent with friends, teammates and family.
“It was everything he loved,” Kropf said.
As for how his son would be remembered on the ice, he said, “He was a real magnet. One of the kids called him the ‘glue guy,’ because he kept the team together.”
A memorial service was held on Monday at St Aloysius Church, where attendees were asked to ‘bring hockey sticks and/or golf clubs to Weeburn for a moment of silence and a group photo.’
Elliott was also an avid golfer and was remembered by City Council President Michael Mauro at the start of Wednesday night’s meeting.
While the circumstances of his death remain unclear, his father said Krops’ “last day was beautiful,” citing how the teen had spent time with friends, teammates and family.
Elliott was also an avid golfer and was remembered at the start of Wednesday night’s city council meeting
“I would like to reflect on the loss of one of our beautiful city children in a very tragic incident this past weekend,” he said.
‘And I would like to propose a moment of silence in his honor.
“It’s one of those moments in life that completely destroys your existence and we are grieving here as a community, together with the family,” Mauro continued.
‘[Let’s] “We are thinking of them and praying for them as they go through an extremely tragic time.”