New Jersey Father Dies of Cancer Months After Wife and Son Drowned – Yahoo Entertainment
A New Jersey father has died of cancer, just three months after his wife and older son died in a drowning accident.
A friend of the family confirmed the death of Zeeshan Hamayun in a community Facebook group Monday, writing that he was “saddened” to share the news so soon after the death of the man’s wife and child.
“Last February, many of us were heart broken when we heard of tragic accident when a mother, Warda Syed, died while saving her 11 year old son Uzair and they both drowned in Rockaway River, by Grace Land Park,” Gul Khan wrote. “Today, I am saddened to also share that her husband Zeeshan Hamayun has also died after long illness.”
Hamayun’s wife Warda Syed and his 11-year-old son Uzair Ahmed died in February when they drowned in a pond.
On Feb. 23, officers were dispatched to Grace Lord Park in Boonton, New Jersey, after receiving reports of an unattended child. They arrived to find a 6-year-old boy in a car, calling out for his mother.
The boy was unharmed, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Officers followed footprints from the car to the nearby pond, where the little boy’s mother, Warda Syed, and brother, Uzair Ahmed, were found dead.
CBS2 reported from the scene that the walkway to the pond was very icy and that signs abound in the park, warning about a dangerous drop-off. Authorities eventually ruled that the drowning was an accident.
The Morristown Daily Record identified the surviving boy as Unais Ahmed — the younger son of Syed and Hamayun.
The boy will stay with extended family during this time, Khan told the newspaper.
Khan, who is also the coordinator for the Morris County Islamic Centers and founder of Different Faiths One Family, said that Hamayun had been battling cancer since before the deaths of his wife and son.
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After they died, his condition became much worse, the Daily Record reports.
“Even when I saw him, you know, he was just heartbroken and to see how weak he got,” Khan said. “But after [the accident], obviously the trauma probably just took a toll on him and he just went downhill very quickly.”
He added, “It’s just so painful to see a family have two deaths in basically 60 days. It’s been very tough for the community and their family, especially. It’s painful.”
Hamayun’s family is asking for prayers and support at this time, according to the newspaper. They will also be encouraging the town to add safety barriers to the river so that future drowning accidents can be avoided.