Injured Skateboarder's Stepmother: Unger Avenue Needs Safety Measures

A teary-eyed Rosemary Cabellero and several Hopatcong residents made pleas for the installation of safety measures on Unger Avenue at Wednesday night's Mayor and Council meeting at borough hall.

Meanwhile, Cabellero's stepson, 18-year-old Jonathan Delgado, remained in critical condition at Morristown Memorial Hospital after fracturing his skull in a skateboarding crash two weeks ago on a section of the street known as "Suicide Hill," due to its steep incline.

Delgado, who wasn't wearing a helmet, has been in a doctor-induced coma since the accident, according to Cabellero. She also said doctors told her that Delgado, while showing signs of movement, may never be able to see or talk again.

Cabellero and the residents said they wanted speed bumps, speed humps or warning signs put on the street to deter children on bikes or skateboards or cars from speeding on the street.

"Had there been something stated about this hill, I'm sure he would have not gone down on it," Cabellero said. The family moved to Hopatcong from Passaic in October. Cabellero said she and her husband, Rafael Delagdo, were still unfamiliar with Unger Avenue.

Police Chief John Swanson said making Hopatcong a helmets-only town was "one of the options on the table for discussion." New Jersey law says only riders 17 years old or younger must wear helmets.

Attorney John Ursin said he'd spoken with Swanson, who told Ursin he'd consider issuing summonses for children without helmets.

"I know that the council is very concerned about this, especially when one of the youths in the town has been so badly injured," Ursin said.

He added the council should speak with Borough Engineer John Ruschke, who wasn't at the meeting, before deciding on safety measures.

"The contours of the roads are difficult to change and there are rules with respect to one-way stop signs, speed bumps—they're constraining. They're not easy things to do," Ursin said. "We'll talk about that."

Swanson wasn't sure speed bumps or the like would be good idea.

"You'll see speed bumps on flat roads," he said. "You will not see speed bumps on hills."

In fact, Swanson thought kids might view a speed bump as a challenge.

"You wouldn't think you'd see a kid grind on a handrail going down a set of stairs, but they do," he said.

Mayor Sylvia Petillo said the board would consider all options.

"We will discuss this seriously," Petillo said. "Every child is our child in the borough."

Residents, many of them Unger Avenue homeowners, wanted immediate action.

Michelle Constanza made the 911 call when Delgado crashed outside her home at the bottom of Unger Avenue's hill. She said she often parks her car in the middle of the street to deter speeding motorists.

She also said she figured it was a matter of when, not if, such an accident would happen.

"This has been an ongoing problem for the 15 years that we have lived there on Unger, with cars, skateboarders, [and] bicyclers speeding up and down the hill," Costanza said.

"I've called the police a number of times. I've written license plate numbers down. I've even gotten into my car and gone after the cars that were speeding. Nothing's ever really been resolved."

Her husband, Brian, said, "I keep thinking about the day something happens to my kids. …The cars scare me. They scare me to death."

Unger Avenue resident Tina Hulsman also expressed her want for safety measures. And Helmut Rehe, a Nariticong Avenue resident, said his street's steep hill warrants consideration for speed bumps or warning signs, too.

More than anything, however, Cabellero said she hoped Hopatcong would learn from Delgado's accident.

"I don't want this to happen to any other person or any other child," she said in a phone interview before the meeting.