UNH Professor Killed In Tragic Staten Island Fire On Birthday

WEST HAVEN, CT — The University of New Haven community is mourning the loss of a beloved professor who was killed in a tragic fire in Staten Island in which his 9-year-old son desperately tried to save him, according to multiple reports. Anthony Carter, who taught at UNH for more than 10 years, died in a fast-moving fire that tore through his Staten Island condo just before 11 p.m. on Saturday night, which was his 62nd birthday, WTNH News 8 reports.

The New York Daily News reports the fire was started by candles that were in the home. Carter’s 9-year-old son ran to neighbors begging for help for his father, according to the Daily News. (To sign up for West Haven breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

The neighbors helped put out the fire with a garden hose until emergency crews arrived on the scene, the Daily News reports.

The boy was hospitalized for treatment of burns to his hands and smoke inhalation and is expected to be OK, according to WTNH News 8.

Carter taught business management at UNH and was the father of three sons.

Anthony Cater via the University of New Haven

UNH President Steven Kaplan said Carter was “an incredibly caring individual who was happiest when he was helping others.”

“He had a transformational impact on his students and on the greater New Haven community,” Kaplan wrote in a message to the campus community.

Read Kaplan’s full message, via the UNH website, below:

Dear Members of the Campus Community,

I am writing to share with you the tragic news that longtime University of New Haven management professor Tony Carter died on Saturday night. I worked with Tony on a number of community-focused initiatives. He was an incredibly caring individual who was happiest when he was helping others. He had a transformational impact on his students and on the greater New Haven community.

Professor Carter had a passion for mentorship and was profiled in 2015 by his hometown paper as a devoted volunteer who is passionate about giving back to the community. For nearly 10 years, he organized a program that paired local youth with University of New Haven students to provide encouragement and advice.

Tony joined the University of New Haven in 2005. He previously taught at Columbia University, Wagner College, and William Patterson University. His research interests focused on globalization and its cultural, demographic, political, environmental, and technological impact, and he lectured and studied in China, Lithuania, and the country of Georgia. He authored nearly 20 book chapters and journal articles and presented his work at national and international conferences.

He earned his Ph.D. in management at Western University and his J.D. at the University of Denver. He previously served as national division manager/vice president for the Lawyers Insurance Corporation and as assistant vice president of Commonwealth Land, Inc. He also served as a consultant for the United Nations and Sony, among other businesses and organizations.

Please join me in expressing our heartfelt condolences during this difficult time to Professor Carter’s three sons, his family, friends, colleagues, and many students.

Steven Kaplan

President

Read more about the fire at WTNH News 8 here and the New York Daily News here.

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