park slope's nightmare before christmas

[itsmegp46]

I lived three blocks from the crash site. I remember this very well. My dad's buddy's barber shop was completely wrecked as I recall. RIP one and all.

[yaknbo]

I remember I thought he looked like Mickey Rooney(not trying to be glib, believe me). I was 7 years old. The image of him in the plow bank has stayed with me and is one of the saddest things I have ever seen in my life.

[redbull65009]

The hospital where steven's coins are is the Methodist hospital on 7th avenue between 6th street and 7th street i believe.

[leslie9952]

It is hard to believe that 50 years have passed, it seems like yesterday. I was in the third grade in St. Augustines. I can still hear the loud noise of the plane over head, the windows were rattling and Sister Olivera had us under our desks praying. The plane did hit the steeple of the church which is attached to the school. I was told there was an angel that was knocked down and when it was put back it was placed upside down by mistake and to this day that is how it remained.

[giles422]

he was a great kid, Steve. Never forgotten.

[VegasLady15]

I was born & raised in Park Slope and was almost a year old when this happened. Though I don't remember this specifically, those coins from young Stephen were made into a memorial plaque that I've just learned still hangs on the wall in the chapel of Methodist Hospital. I was born in that hospital and had been there many times for various reasons. This was beautifully done; thank you.

[johntheadams]

Stephen Baltz was eleven, not ten. I got to the scene several hours after the crash. I'll never forget the word "United" clearly visible on the tail section lying at the intersection of 7th Avenue and Sterling Place, the child's doll lying in the wreckage, the temporary morgue at the City Sevice Garage filled with bodybags that reaked from formaldehyde.

Stephen Baltz (Jan. 9, 1949 – Dec. 17, 1960)

[secretname1000able]

Stephen Baltz was 11 years old and from Wilmette IL.

[A503B201]

poor little fellar :( sniff sniff. so sad.

[carmenlidia13]

Great Job On Video really Good!

My family & I Lived on Sterling & 7th Ave we moved out in Sept 1959 I was 7 y.o. my mother always talked about this crash & how she seen a image of Jesus in the Snow before we moved. Peace Be upon Lil Steven & All the Others who perished.

On May 12, 2010 a 9 y.o. Ducth Boy not named will/has survived a plane crash and Doctors say his injuries are not Life threating God Bless him in the years to come we will see what became of him.

[wellcurvedbody]

Great Job On Video My family & I Lived on Sterling St moved out in Sept 1959 I was 7 y.o. Peace Be upon Lil Steven & All the Others who perished.

On May 12, 2010 a 9 y.o. Ducth Boy not named will/has survived a plane crash and Doctors say his injuries are not Life threating God Bless him in the years to come we will see what became of him.

[Throweasy03]

@wellcurvedbody I was 7 too when it happened and lived on Berkeley Pl just two blocks over from Sterling Pl. I was in school at St. Francis Xavier on President St. My aunt lived on Sterling Pl right near 7th Ave. We went there Saturday the 17 when Stephen died.

[Throweasy03]

@wellcurvedbody I was 7 yrs old too when it happened and lived on Berkeley Pl just two blocks over from Sterling Pl. I was in school at St. Francis Xavier on President St. My aunt lived on Sterling Pl right near 7th Ave. We went there Saturday the 17 when Stephen died. You must have been my aunt Pauline's neighbor. Her son was Vito and sister Jenny. Maybe you remember them?

[wellcurvedbody]

Peace Be upon Lil Steven & All the Others who perished.

On May 12, 2010 a 9 y.o. Ducth Boy not named will/has survived and Doctors say his injuries are not Life threating

[BK2dafullist]

We miss you little Billy! That was his name? No?

[BK2dafullist]

I remember this like it was yesteday. My parents lived down the avenue near Garfield, I couldnt see anything but I could here it all (I wasnt born yet, I was still in my dads balls). I heard all the sirens, screems and yells. The sounds were a little muffled as my dad had really hairy balls, those days people didnt care too much about hygiene let alone grooming balls. I tried to piece it all together. A few years later dad gave me his explanation, till this day I try to keep my balls shaved

[willyboi708]

@BK2dafullist You are not funny at all....just a disrespectful prick.

[pandonna7]

my mom's family owned the funeral home that was on the corner. she was 2 years old sitting under the kitchen table when it happen. thank god they all made it out.

[Musicgranny]

Very moving tribute. This was a major event in my life as I was the same age as Stevie. I had a a muscular disorder at the time that confined me to bed and I got real wrapped up in this story and remember praying for him.

[xeasternxz]

Highly moving tribute to a sad, brave boy and intelligently and thoughtfully composed . I still remember how dignified his father was at the time and sometimes wonder how his family managed in the years since that dreadful day and how they are today.Thank you.

[falldownhard]

I've read a great deal about this disaster. I was born in '65 but I remember flying on a big jet as a little boy.  It could have easily been any one of us. It was horrible and should not be forgotten. What a beautiful tribute, superbly done. Thanks for sharing this.

[PaleoCon2]

I was ten in December 1960 just a little younger than Stephen. I remember my parents discussing the story and praying that he would live. Thanks for the video.

His bravery and life should not be forgotten.

[Sharpster7]

This ALMOST made me cry. So damn artsy and dramatic. I love park slope!

[scorzeny45]

GOOD JOB. I BELIEVE SOME ITEMS OF STEVEN [COINS] ?  are on display in local hospital ?

[vydeoynkhorne]

yes, you are right. don't know the name of the hospital, but it was where he was treated. they took the coins he had in his pocket and made a display. as I recall he had 63 cents. there is info on the web about it. search "stephen baltz"

[dwshill2]

@vydeoynkhorne Memorial Hospital, located at seventh avenue and fifth street in Park Slope...the plaque is outside the emergency room sitting area.

[Throweasy03]

@dwshill2 It's Methodist Hospital.

[vydeoynkhorne]

@Throweasy03 happy birthday to you. sad to have it connected to this memory but it's also stephen spielberg's birthday

[dwshill2]

@Throweasy03 It's totally Methodist Hospital...I have no idea where from in my head I pulled Memorial hospital. I live a few blocks on seventh avenue from the hospital and have seen the coins outside the emergency room more than once. So sad.

[johntheadams]

@vydeoynkhorne Methodist Hospital

[Throweasy03]

@vydeoynkhorne It is Brooklyn Methodist Hospital on 7 th Ave. I was born there. Stephen dies there. I was 7 and at school that day just blocks away. My aunt lived on Sterling Pl. where it came down and the plane damaged her stoop. It is my saddest memory of growing up in Brooklyn. It was on a Friday and a snowy day. The next day was my birthday. I always remember the accident and Stephen each year at my birthday. I remember it like yesterday. 50 years ago yesterday. Today is my birthday.

[reddheddjedd77]

@vydeoynkhorne Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn

[rjbinva]

The 65 cents (4 dimes, 5 nickels) are on display in the chapel at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn at 6th St and 7th Ave. Use the 6th St entrance and the chapel is straight ahead. The plaque is on the left as you enter the chapel.

[bernie205]

@scorzeny45 methodist hospital in park slope is where the plaque is

[contrail777]

Very nice work.  Stephen deserves to be remembered.

[sdh418]

I too have vivid memories of this crash. I remember my mom telling me a woman took off her fur coat and wrapped Stephan in it.

This horror has never left my mind. I was 7 then and each plane crash takes me back to there.

Thanks for this video

I amnot SDH I just am using her sign in

Glen Heinsohn NYC

[ElectraZoom]

Thank you for sharing your nice video. I am 37 years old, from the Chicago area, and until now never heard of the accident or Stephen Baltz. Your short video is powerful and simply unforgettable. It is a very nice tribute to a wonderful person.

[vydeoynkhorne]

thank you, I appreciate your comments

[leslie9952]

@vydeoynkhorne I can't believe 50years have passed, I was in the third grade at St. Augustine's. I can still hear the plane over head and windows rattling. Sister Olivera had us under our desks praying it was such a frighting time I will never forget it. The plane did hit the steeple of the church which was attached to the school. I was told there was an angel that was knocked down and when it was put back it was put on upside down and till this day that is how it remains.

[sawyergarpy]

Beautifully done- I was 8 when

this occurred and it has always been a powerful

memory-this is wonderful tribute- bless you

[vydeoynkhorne]

thanks for watching

[Cielodrive]

Bless you for creating this. Such a sad story. Stephen needs to be remembered, always.

[HechtTrailers]

Actually the Lion Sleeps Tonight was not playing, it was released a year later, but it always reminds me of that time of year.

[HechtTrailers]

I recall this vividly. I was saddened when the news of Stephan's death.

I was in the parking lot of a store called NJ Warehouse or route 35 in Eatontown NJ waiting for my parents to come out from shopping. was announced over the radio. The hit song by the Tokens, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was playing on WABC when it was interrupted by the newscast. I remember this every time at this year and I feel for the boys family.

[glaxona]

My parents and I were flying into Idewilde on 16 Dec. 1960, returning from London, and this crash had happened but a short time before our arrival. We circled and circled and I remember everyone on the plane being sick. A blizzard was blowing in that would paralyze NYC. The pictures of Stephen Blatz the next day made my 8 year old self so very aware of my own mortality. I have felt so connected with him...his wane face has haunted me ever since.

[rjbinva]

Remembering Stephen on this tragic day - December 16th. To quote the memorial plaque at NY Methodist Hospital, "Our tribute to a brave little boy".

[rural01]

We have something in common. I was 9. I lived near an airport and was terrified every time I heard a jet go over. In many ways, Stephen Baltz shaped my life.

Your video is like coming face-to-face with my own childhood fears - like meeting the boogie man.

Interesting how we remember these details all these years? Like you, I can only wonder what if. Thanks for sharing.

[vydeoynkhorne]

I thought I was the only one who remembered this. where are you from?

I'm from Atlanta

Mike Brown

[vydeoynkhorne]

as I remember the Baltz were from the Chicago area.

I'm in journalism too, and make videos for the gov't (sold my sole? it pays the mortgage)

do you recall the DC10 that crashed just after take-off from O'hare?

[rjbinva]

I remember reading about this accident when I was young. I was recently in NYC and had some free time so I visited the site (7th ave and Sterling Place, Brooklyn). I then went to the nearby Methodist Hospital where Stephen was taken and saw the memorial put up for him and the other victims. On the plaque were the burned and blackened coins Stephen had in his pocket that day, a reminder of how horrible it was. Thanks for the nice video tribute.

[vydeoynkhorne]

thanks

it very much came from my heart

[dustydemure]

Re-watching last season's Mad Men. A plane crash happens in one of the episodes I was viewing (Show takes place in N.Y.C. during the 1960's) and it got me looking up plane crashes that happened here in the U.S. before I was born (1971). I just finished reading a piece (published in 2002 N.Y. Times) of the nurse who watched Stephen the night/morning he died. Enjoyed your film. So many of the comments sum up how I feel (even if I wasn't there). Thanks.

[nycanthro]

Eerie confession. Wonderful homage. Bless both the dead and those who remember.

[philinaz1]

I thought I might have been the only person in the world to remember Stephen Baltz and the this air collison over Brooklyn, NY. I was 12 year old and living in Kansas City. I still have a copy of the report in the December 26, 1960 issue of LIFE Magazine. I just pulled it from a box in the garage last night to read it again. I will never forget the tragedy or Stephen.

[vydeoynkhorne]

I guess there are others who remember this. I found out why Stephen was travelling alone. the previous day, his mother and sister made the flight, but Stephen had a sore throat so his dad made him stay home. Poor Dad, I'd hate to have that on my mind, that a minor decision could have such horrific consequences

[truebritgal]

I Googled my birthdate, and found out about this air disaster. (I was born just days before this occurred.) I read the story about Stephen Baltz, and it touched my heart. The article stated: "Baltz told rescuers that moments before the collision he had looked out the window at the snow falling on the city. It looked like a picture out of a fairy book. It was a beautiful sight."

My heart goes out to the family that Stephen left behind, and everyone who was affected by this tragedy.

[sanyo51]

i thought that was very kind of you to pay tribute to that little boy. i just started reading about that air crash and im really sad that he died.

[vydeoynkhorne]

thanks

I was curious why stephen traveled all by himself (his sister and mother went the day before). apparently he had a sore throat and his dad kept him home. surely that decision must have weighed heavily on the family considering the consequences

[grneygrl]

How sad. I live in Staten Island for the past 7 years (10 min from the site) and my husband lived in Queens for 36 years (he was born in 1967). We both never heard the story of the aircrash. I guess it was forgotten. When i picked up the paper today it had the story of the 47th year anniverary crash. I was very sad about Stephen. I will never forget about Stephen.

[vydeoynkhorne]

I remember it well even though I grew up in atlanta and was there when it happened.

thanks for watching

mike brown

havre de grace maryland

[Playomatic]

Well told and edited.

[lucaselectrics]

excellent commentary on a horrific crash. I was 13 living in Rochester NY . Went on to be a career Air Force pilot flying heavy jet transports. I still think about Stephen and his family.

[barteos]

It's got an atmosphere.