STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — On a stretch of shoreline in Stapleton, a painful reminder of tragedy haunts one Staten Island family.
This is where 6-year-old Thomas Sanchez, a non-verbal child with autism, drowned last month after he got out of his home and accessed an unfenced section of the waterfront.
Thomas had wandered to an approximately 50-foot opening on the far right corner of a park closest to the waterfront’s rocky shoreline. The area is about 500 feet from the intersection of Front and Canal streets.
This panorama view shows the section where Thomas Sanchez, 6, drowned at the Stapleton waterfront in mid-August. (Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence)Shaina McLawrence
His mother, Christina Cardona, 37, described her son as energetic, intelligent, and affectionate, with a fondness for sensory comforts like chew toys, goldfish crackers, and playful routines with his family.
And now he’s gone.
In the wake of his death, Cardona is fighting to make sure no other family experiences the loss that she did.
The mother has launched a petition on Change.org calling for the city to close the gap in the fencing and improve safety measures at the Stapleton waterfront.
“Thomas is what’s getting me to do this. His life matters,” she said. “I want to prevent something like this from happening again, that because of Thomas, no other child or anybody will suffer.”
The above map depicts the path Thomas’ mother believes he took to the Stapleton Waterfront Park on the morning of Aug. 17, 2025.Google MapsBoy found unconscious
Just before 9 a.m. on Aug. 17, Cardona flagged down local police to help search for her missing son near Broad Street and Tompkins Avenue.
Officers canvassed the area and found Thomas unconscious in the water at the edge of Stapleton Waterfront Park.
Despite lifesaving efforts and transport to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, Thomas was pronounced dead. The investigation remains ongoing, according to police.
Cardona believes Thomas wandered to a familiar section of the pier near Front Street, a place he often visited with his siblings, and accessed the water through the gap in the fencing. “It’s not like it’s a puddle,” she said. “Anybody can fall in.”
Grieving mother Christina Cardona reflects on the events that led to the drowning death of her son Thomas Sanchez, 6, at the Stapleton waterfront in mid-August. (Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence)Shaina McLawrenceSafety concerns at the waterfront
Although the rest of the waterfront walking path at the park is gated, Cardona pointed out that the corner section where Thomas drowned had no barriers or gates.
Cardona emphasized the preventable nature of the tragedy, noting that her son would not have been able to climb over a fence had one been present.
When reached for comment about safety precautions planned for the area, the New York City Parks Department expressed its sympathies for Thomas’ family.
“We’re saddened by this tragic loss of life and our hearts go out to the victim’s family,” said a spokesperson for the New York City Parks Department.
Parks Enforcement regularly patrols the park and removes any patrons who they witness climbing on the rocks, the spokesperson said. The department deferred further questions about the death to the NYPD.
Grieving mother Christina Cardona reflects on the events that led to the drowning death of her son Thomas Sanchez, 6, at the Stapleton waterfront in mid-August. (Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence)Shaina McLawrence
In an interview with the Advance/SILive.com, Assemblyman Charles D. Fall, a Democrat who represents the North Shore, expressed his condolences to the family. He shared that this tragedy particularly resonates with him as he lost his 6-year-old brother in a similar drowning incident when he was 9 years old.
“My thought now is how do we make the area much safer? So things like this don’t happen again,” Fall said. “That’s one of the things we’re going to be finally reaching out to the city about, is to assess the waterfront in that neighborhood and other neighborhoods to see what are some safety measures we can take so something like this does not happen in the future.”
Fall also added that he is particularly concerned because of plans made for development of the waterfront area in the future.
Christina Cardona, 37, described her son as energetic, intelligent, and affectionate, with a fondness for sensory comforts like chew toys, goldfish crackers, and playful routines with his family.(Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence)Shaina McLawrenceStruggling to cope
Meanwhile, the family is struggling to cope with the devastating loss.
The tragedy has deeply affected Thomas’ siblings, especially his twin brother Bobby and 9-year-old sister Aubrey.
“Bobby’s been on Thomas’ bed a lot lately; he’s just clinging to it‚” Cardona said. “He’s been napping there. He’s never slept on Thomas’ bed before.”
Their stepfather, Devin Everett, 34, shared a special bond with Thomas and visits the site nightly. “That was my boy,” Everett said.
Thomas had wandered to an approximately 50-foot opening on the far right corner of a park closest to the waterfront’s rocky shoreline. The area is about 500 feet from the intersection of Front and Canal streets.(Advance/SILive.com | Shaina McLawrence) Shaina McLawrence
Thomas’ loved ones are urging the community to be vigilant and proactive when they see a child in potential danger. “If you see a child, grab them,” Everett said. “In moments like that, you say something, you do something.”
As of this week, the petition had garnered nearly 100 signatures. Cardona has also reached out to elected officials and organizations.
Those interested in learning more about or participating in Cardona’s petition can visit: change.org/protection-gate-for-stapleton-water-front
Thomas’ family urges community members to intervene when seeing children who may be in danger.Courtesy of Christina Cardona
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