Keyport Boy, 6, Drowned At Crystal Springs: Report

KEYPORT, NJ — The child who drowned at Crystal Springs Family Water Park this summer has been identified as Gage Turzani, a six-year-old boy who lived in Keyport, MyCentralJersey.com first reported. The young boy, who loved to climb trees and play tricks, was 11 days from his seventh birthday when he died.

The tragic drowning death shook the area: Gage Turzani, 6, died Friday, August 10 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, his obituary read. Turzani had been hospitalized in extremely critical condition for the past two weeks after he was pulled from the water at Crystal Springs on July 30.

As Patch reported, at approximately 3:35 p.m. that day East Brunswick police received a 911 call that a child was not breathing at Crystal Springs Family Water Park. The incident happened near the deep end of the Sapphire Bay section of the park. Officers, along with water park personnel and EMS, performed CPR on the boy, who was taken from there to Robert Wood.

Gage was a student at Madison Park Elementary School in the Old Bridge public school system. He was born Aug. 21, 2011 in Edison.

He loved superheroes, especially the Flash, and his family requested that people wear superhero attire to his funeral this Saturday, Aug. 18.

"Gage was a huge fan of the Flash. He loved to run and climb trees. He was a jokester who was constantly playing tricks on people," according to his obituary. "He loved playing with his little sister Ivy. Gage loved completing puzzles and building things. He was a big fan of the game Minecraft. Gage was a beautiful young boy who enjoyed all the activities of his youth. His passing has broken the hearts of all those that love him, but his memory will live on for a lifetime."

He is survived by his loving parents, Danielle and Thomas Meany, and Allen Turzani, his beloved sister Ivy Meany, and his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The family will receive friends from to 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, August 18 at Michael Hegarty & John Vincent Scalia Home For Funerals and Cremation Service, 3377 US Highway 9 in Old Bridge.

"As we know Gage was a huge fan of all superheros especially the Flash. In his memory you are requested to wear something to the funeral services that reflects his love of superheroes," his family wrote.

East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen said Crystal Springs staff and EMS workers did everything they could that day. Crystal Springs is located in East Brunswick.

"The staff and Township need to know they did a phenomenal job doing what we expect them to do," Cohen said last week.

David Cittadino, the superintendent of Old Bridge public schools, posted the following:

Photo of Gage Turzani republished by Patch with permission from Michael Hegarty & John Vincent Scalia Funeral Home and the Turzani family.