Peter Roberto Jr

No holiday for tragedy

By Elizabeth Stieber  
Times Staff Writer

In a school essay describing himself, Peter Roberto Jr. wrote, "I’m most special because I try to get the most out of life and enjoy every moment of it."

Sadly, the 12-year-old seventh-grader’s seemingly full life was cut short on Thanksgiving Day when he was struck and killed by a sport-utility vehicle while crossing the street.

The driver may have been drinking, police said.

"It’s hard," his father, Peter Roberto Sr., said from the family’s Somerton home. "We take every day as it comes. We’re trying to pick up the pieces."

Peter and his family had been celebrating Thanksgiving at his grandmother’s house in Wissinoming. Peter and a cousin just went out for a walk after dinner, said his mother, Dolores Roberto. They were crossing Harbison Avenue near Comly Street at around 6:45 p.m. on Nov. 25, police said, when a 2002 GMC Envoy hit Peter.

The driver, William Halloran, 29, of the 2800 block of Knorr St., allegedly got out of his SUV, looked at the victim and fled. He surrendered at the 15th Police District later that night, police said. Peter died at the scene.

Halloran was charged with homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, involuntary manslaughter, and leaving the scene of an accident involving death.

Peter is survived by his parents, older sisters Christine and Brittany and younger brother Anthony, as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

There has been an outpouring of love and support from both friends and strangers, the family said. More than 1,000 people attended Pete’s funeral services on Dec. 1.

"Some people waited three hours to get in," said Dolores Roberto, who expressed her gratitude for everyone’s support.

In addition, a guest book has been set up with the online obituary so that people can leave a message for the family. To access it, go to www.philly.com, click on "obituaries" and type in "Roberto."

The Robertos said they were touched by the dozens of entries.

"I lost count of how many kids said, ‘Pete was my best friend,’ " Dolores Roberto said. "He had friends everywhere."

At CCA Baldi Middle School, Pete was a popular kid. Students and staff were devastated by the news of his death but turned the tragedy into a positive campaign.

Principal Frances Heinze hung posters along the hallway walls so that students could write messages for the Roberto family. Students and teachers also made cards and wrote letters.

"The students were very upset," Heinze said. "We thought it was best to have them do things."

The Baldi Middle School student council sold blue ribbons to students and raised more than $1,000. The money will go to the Roberto family for funeral expenses and a memorial scholarship at the end of the school year.

"The sea of blue ribbons in the building was incredible," said Gloria Tuckey, the school’s community coordinator.

Baldi is also considering starting a Students Against Destructive Decisions chapter.

"A lot of wonderful things are coming from this," Tuckey said.

In the midst of their tragedy, Pete’s parents are pleading with the public — particularly those who are headed to holiday events where drinking is involved — to think before getting into a car at the end of the night.

"It could have been anybody’s son that day," Dolores Roberto said. "People really need to think how bad decisions can impact other people’s families."

"It was a completely avoidable tragedy," added John F.X. Fenerty Jr., the family’s attorney.

To deal with his hearing disability, Pete went once a day to Baldi’s Reading Resource Room. At age 7, he was diagnosed with bilateral cholesteatoma, a rare inner-ear disorder that left him mildly hearing impaired. He had four surgeries and wore hearing aids in both ears.

Despite the disability, he was very comfortable with himself and even reminded classmates with hearing deficiencies to wear their hearing aids, said Sandy Rosenberg, his teacher.

"He really flourished when he was helping others," she said. "He was very proud of who he was."

She described her pupil as intellectually curious, mischievous, excited to help others and devoted to his family.

"He had a heart that didn’t fit his chest," his father said. "He was a well-liked, respected kid who wouldn’t hesitate to do anything for anybody."

One of Pete’s favorite hobbies was riding his all-terrain vehicle near his family’s campground in May’s Landing, N.J. In fact, he used the money he saved by mowing lawns all summer to buy a new ATV, his father said.

"He loved to ride. It was his passion," Peter said. "It was our summertime thing."

He also loved sports, rap music and doing good deeds for his elderly neighbors.

Pete also delivered the Northeast Times around his neighborhood.

He attended Sunday school every week at Wissinoming Presbyterian Church, his parents said.

And whether he was in the hallways at school, hanging out with his friends or near his family, he always wore a large grin.

"I’ll miss that big smile," his father said. ••

Anyone who has any information can contact Fenerty at 1-888-947-4848.

Reporter Elizabeth Stieber can be reached at 215-354-3036 or estieber@phillynews.com

Hit-and-run victim, 12, is remembered for his ‘big heart’

By Angela Couloumbis
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer

In school, he was popular, someone everyone liked to be around, not because he wore the coolest clothes or carried the hippest gear, but because his heart was so big.

At home, he was the protector, looking after an older sister and cousins to make sure nobody messed with them.

And down the Jersey Shore, where his family vacationed, he was the kid with the smile so wide and so heartbreaking, they called him "Peter pretty teeth."

Such were the images of Peter Roberto Jr., the 12-year-old boy killed in a hit-and-run accident in Northeast Philadelphia on Thanksgiving night, that his family wanted to remember yesterday.

His mother, Dolores Roberto, said in an interview yesterday that she wanted to celebrate the memory of her son, a boy so warm and funny that he had a million friends - and about another million girlfriends. "There was always a new girl stopping by," Dolores Roberto said. "I swear, they all had a crush on him. But that was Peter. People just loved to be around him."

You would never know, she said, that her son had battled hearing loss in both ears for almost all his life. He had undergone four surgeries and wore hearing aids in both ears, having suffered from tumors of the ear called cholesteatomas.

But his disability never got in the way of his living life, she said. He was a role model to other members of his family who had similar hearing loss, once urging a cousin who hated to wear hearing aids, "Come on, just put your ears on."

A rabid Flyers fan, he loved hockey. He also loved adventure, spending hours outside riding his dirt bike. Last summer, he mowed lawns so he could help buy an all-terrain vehicle. He even had a motocross suit to match the blue color of his new four-wheeler.

"He would spend hours outside riding it," Dolores Roberto said. "He'd come back covered in dirt. He was like a wild man. He had no fear."

When he wasn't out riding, he was helping to build an outdoor fort near his home in the Somerton section of the Northeast. Dolores Roberto said the fort was "more like a condo," complete with carpeting and car seats that served as chairs.

Roberto said she did not want to discuss the events leading up to her son's death, saying only that Peter was out walking with his cousin after Thanksgiving dinner at her mother's house when he was struck by a car. He was crossing Harbison Avenue in the Wissinoming section of Northeast Philadelphia.

The driver, William Halloran, 29, was behind the wheel of a GMC Envoy when he struck Peter, police say. The boy was dragged for about a block and a half before he was dislodged from the vehicle, police said. He died at the scene.

After striking Peter, police say, Halloran parked his car and ran away. He surrendered to police late Thursday night, and has been charged with homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, involuntary manslaughter, and leaving the scene of an accident involving death.

But nobody in the Roberto family wanted to dwell on the accident yesterday - the pain was too raw. Dolores Roberto said she and her husband want to do something to honor the son who gave them so much joy over the last 12 years.

"He was full of life," she said, "and he had a great personality, a big heart. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for you. I want people to remember that."

Peter is survived by his parents, Dolores and Peter Sr.; sisters Brittany, 14, and Christine, 16; and brother Anthony, 10.

A viewing for Peter will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Burns Family Funeral Homes in Northeast Philadelphia. There will also be a church service at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Wissinoming Presbyterian Church at Torresdale Avenue and Howell Street. Burial will follow at the William Penn Cemetery on Bustleton Avenue in Somerton.

Contact staff writer Angela Couloumbis at 215-854-2827 or acouloumbis@phillynews.com.

Local legislators lead efforts to increase hit-and-run penalties

Like most families, Dolores and Peter Roberto will sit down to a Thanksgiving meal this Thursday. This year, though, there will be one less place setting.

Last Thanksgiving, their 12-year old son Peter Roberto, Jr. was killed while attempting to cross Harbison Avenue near Comly Street in Wissinoming. The Somerton resident had just finished eating Thanksgiving dinner with his family at his grandparents' house.

Last week, Peter's family, which also includes siblings Christine, Brittany and Anthony, and friends held a candlelight vigil at the accident site to remember him. Dozens held hands and clutched candles on the cold night, while some of Peter's favorite music played in the background. Many wrote their thoughts on a piece of poster board propped against a telephone pole and added to a mounting collection of stuffed animals.

At approximately 6:45 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2004, a 2002 GMC Envoy hit Peter, then a student at CCA Baldi Middle School. He died at the scene.

The driver was William Halloran, 29, of the 2800 block of Knorr Street. Halloran, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, got out of his SUV, looked at the victim and fled. He surrendered at the 15th Police District later that night.

Halloran was charged with homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident involving death.

Family members said the attendance at the vigil was fitting for a boy who had tons of friends.

"I think it was good," Dolores said of the vigil. "A lot of family and friends, extended family, are here."

The Robertos want to honor their son in another way. Dolores joined forces with public safety activist Gerald Lamparter to draft 12 proposals for tougher laws against hit-and-run and DUI drivers. They have submitted the ideas to State Sen. Mike Stack (D-5).

One proposal is the increase in the minimum prison sentence for a hit-and-run that results in a fatality from one year to five. The Robertos also propose the same for a hit-and-run resulting in serious bodily injury.

"We're really going to push for this," said State Rep. George Kenney (R-170). "We agree with the Robertos. They're right, there is a loophole. "

Kenney is currently working to increase the penalty for hit-and-run drivers to three years. While the legislation won't affect Halloran, Kenney wants no leniency for future hit-and-run drivers.

"They didn't have the decency to stop," he said. "Every Thanksgiving, the Robertos will have this memory."

The House will vote on the bill on December 5. The Robertos' other proposals are still being reviewed by Stack.

Students at Baldi have also started a chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD). Family and friends continue to honor Peter through a web site of memories. It can be accessed at www.peterrobertojr.com.