Harrison mourns eighth grader who died in bike accident on roof of parking garage Sunday

Michael P. McKinney, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
Updated ·2 min read
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Flowers, candles and other items were placed at a memorial that has been created on the top floor of a parking garage near the Harrison Metro-North station June 11, 2024. The memorial is for Mark Anthony Giordano, the 13-year-old Harrison resident who died Sunday in an accident involving an electric-powered bike. Giordano fell to the bottom of the five-story garage after apparently losing control of the bike he was riding.

Harrison is mourning the loss of an eighth grader in what police said was an electric bike accident on the roof of a parking garage on Sunday.

According to an MTA Police spokesperson, at about 5:47 p.m. on Sunday five minors were on the fifth-story roof of the Harrison public parking garage. Thirteen-year-old Mark Anthony Giordano lost control of an electric-powered bike that he was operating and was discovered at ground level next to the garage, the MTA Police statement said.

An MTA police officer sits in her car June 11, 2024, near a memorial created on the top floor of a parking garage near the Harrison Metro-North station June 11, 2024. The memorial is for Mark Anthony Giordano, the 13-year-old Harrison resident who died Sunday in an accident involving an electric-powered bike. Giordano fell to the bottom of the five-story garage after apparently losing control of the bike he was riding.

Giordano was taken by local emergency medical services to White Plains Hospital where he was pronounced dead, the MTA Police statement said. The other minors on scene were not injured. Preliminary investigation reveals no criminality suspected, according to the MTA Police.

The garage is not exclusive to railroad commuters and is open to the general public.

A parking garage near the Harrison train station June 10, 2024.
A parking garage near the Harrison train station June 10, 2024.

Giordano “was beloved by his teachers, coaches, and friends. Our exceptional faculty, coaches and SROs stepped in immediately to support his family and our students,” Louis N. Wool, Harrison Central School District superintendent, said in the statement on the district’s website.

The schools superintendent's statement said the district has "mobilized support for our middle and high school students, faculty, and staff and extend that support to anyone in our schools who may have known this resilient and remarkable young man."

"In moments of extraordinary tragedy, I am always comforted by the generosity and love our community shows to those most in need and one another," Wool said.

Entrance to a parking garage near the Harrison train station June 10, 2024.
Entrance to a parking garage near the Harrison train station June 10, 2024.

Giordano wrestled for the high school team at 220 pounds, according to a post on Harrison HS Wrestling's Facebook page. He qualified for the Section 1 tournament at 215 pounds this season.

"Mark was an incredible young man who achieved so much in such a short time," according to the post. "His potential on the mats and the football field seemed limitless. However, beyond his athletic prowess, Mark was always kind, respectful, and a loving teammate, brother, and son. In this difficult time, let’s keep Mark’s mother Michelle and sister Liza in our thoughts and prayers, and extend our support to them however we can."

A GoFundMe campaign started for Giordano's family has raised $75,200 as of 2:45 p.m. Monday.

Michael P. McKinney covers real estate, growth and development in Westchester County and Lower Hudson Valley for The Journal News/lohud.com and the USA Today Network.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Harrison NY mourns the death of eighth grader Mark Anthony Giordano