MYFOXNY.COM -
A teenager was fatally wounded when he stuck his head out of a roof hatch on a double-decker party bus and slammed into an overpass on I-95 in Fort Lee, N.J., not far from the George Washington Bridge, the Port Authority said.
16-year-old Daniel Fernandez of Woodside, Queens was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, but his injuries were too severe and he died, according to a PANYNJ spokesman.
Friends describe Daniel as the type of kid always with a smile on his face, always happy, and right now the reality that he's been killed has yet to really sink in.
At St. Francis Prep High School in Fresh Meadows, Queens dozens of students came together tonight to honor and mourn a friend gone far too soon.
Wearing blue, because it was Daniel's favorite color students tried to comfort one another.
"I'm devastated, I think it's a nightmare to be honest with you," said friend Brandon Silva.
A nightmare these students never dreamed could happen. Daniel was among 65 teens aboard the double decker. They were headed to a Sweet 16 party in New Jersey.
"It was just an accident, no one expected that would happen to him," said one student.
"I didn't believe it," added another student. "He was like the new kid that was never new."
Police say the kids on the bus were having a good time, goofing around when Daniel decided to stick his head out and the bus passed underneath an overpass.
On sites like Facebook, news of his death quickly spread and a memorial page was set up.
"St. Francis is a family and when a family loses a member everybody hurts," said Father Bill Sweeney the school chaplain.
With school starting again in just a few days, school officials say they're doing what they can to help students, many of whom were on that bus and are still reeling from this tragedy.
"It's a very difficult situation, I talked to his mother today, she's in shock, and we're just trying to help them cope with everything," said Sweeney.
The school says it will have several grief counselors on hand to help students. Daniel's wake and funeral is scheduled to take place next week.
