The last words Neil Filipowicz heard from his cousin were “I’m not leaving Daddy.” . . hours later, he pulled their bodies arm in arm out of the basement after Sandy snatched them
At Sandy’s peak, the last words Joseph Filipowicz heard from his twin brother were “I’m not leaving Daddy”…hours later their bodies were retrieved from the basement
- Father and son were covered in 10 feet of water within seconds of Sandy’s attack
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font-family:”Times New Roman”,”serif”;}Family describes the horrific moment when they discovered their bodies in the dark basement
- Son refused to leave his father’s side despite warning to evacuate
- Staten Island deaths now up to 19 after superstorm
- Father’s brother was a firefighter during 9/11, but said ‘nothing compares’ to this family loss
A son was found drowned in his father’s arms in the icy waters of Superstorm Sandy after telling relatives, “I’m not leaving Daddy.”
John Filipowicz, 51, and his son John, 20, were found still holding each other in their basement as they protected themselves from the deluge that covered them in 10 feet of water within seconds.
Relatives said the two had an “incredible bond” and would never have been separated – in life or in death.
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Family Tragedy: John Filipowicz Sr. and his son, John Filipowicz Jr. (right) were found buried under rubble in the basement of their home
Tribute left outside the home in Staten Island, New York of John K Filipowicz and son John C Filipowicz who drowned in the basement during a flood caused by Superstorm Sandy.
The basement of the house where father and son drowned when the storm hit
Brother and Uncle Neil Filipowicz stand outside the Staten Island home
Neil Filipowicz said the watermark was at least ten feet high
‘He was my rock’: Christine Filipowicz hugs a friend outside her house
John the eldest stayed behind to watch over his home in Staten Island, New York, but his son refused to leave because he wanted to be by his side.
The death means that John, the eldest’s wife, Christine, has lost her husband, and her other two children Joseph, twins of John junior, and Cali, 16, have lost a sibling and their father.
The deaths were among 19 fatalities on Staten Island from superstorm Sandy, more than any other borough in New York. The total death toll in the US currently stands at 108.
Among the other victims were Connor and Brandon Moore, four and two, who were dragged from Mum Glenda’s arms by a giant wave on the east coast of the island.
John Jr: Relatives said that father and son had a special bond
The Filipowicz family lives on Fox Beach Avenue, one of the hardest-hit streets in Staten Island, where another 51-year-old unidentified man was killed.
Neil Filipowicz, 46, brother of John the elder told MailOnline that his brother decided to ignore warnings to evacuate after weathering Hurricane Irene last year and a storm in 1992.
The family went today to inspect the devastating site where their loved ones had perished.
He said, “I talked to Joseph and he said he tried to get him to leave that day. He was on the phone and told John (the son) to leave the house. He told him, “I’m not leaving Daddy.”
“It was impossible for him to leave his father at home. It was a bond as it should be with your children, between a son and a father. They loved each other so much. They had an incredible bond.’
Neil, a retired New York City firefighter who served on 9/11, said the family was concerned when they couldn’t reach father or son during Monday night’s storm.
Neil went to their house at 7:30am the next day, looked around the house and saw his brother’s keys and wallet on the table, but there was no sign of it.
Neil, Christine and other family members then went to local hostels and when they found nothing, Neil went back home on his own.
Neil said, “I crawled through a hole in the wall that the water had made. I shone my flashlight from right to left and then I saw a hand to my left.
“I prayed it was a doll’s hand, but I put my hand in the water and grabbed it and my nephew came up.
“My brother also came up, he had his arm around the back of his head to protect him.
Son John (left) refused to leave his father’s side
John Filipowicz Jr. (behind, right) pictured here two years ago with relatives
Twin brothers: Joseph (right) urged John to leave the house, but John jr replied: ‘I’m not leaving Daddy’
“I pulled both of their shirts at the same time and a neighbor came and helped me take them off and we put them on the side of the house until they were moved by the National Guard and the medical examiner.
“My cousin held my brother and my brother pressed him against his chest as if they knew they were dying.
My brother protected him. Their eyes were open. My brother looked intense, like he was still trying to fight to the end and be the father and protect his son. My cousin was so scared.
“The waterline on this was 10 feet high, but I think it must have been much higher.”
Neil said the two men were in the basement because they were “checking things” – others on the street narrowly escaped when they did the exact same thing.
Neil said, ‘I know my brother had some sandbags outside, he’d used some expandable foam on the back door. No water came through.
“All the foam had to come out, he was probably checking it and maybe he heard a creak in the structure, but once that gave way, the rushing of the water, that pressure.
Some of the cinder blocks are on the other side of the basement. To be pushed like that, they fired like cannons.”
Neil fought back tears and said he served as a firefighter in New York City on 9/11, but that “nothing compares to this because of proximity.”
Neighbors knew Jan the eldest as the ‘mayor’ of the street because he took care of them by helping to clear the street of snow in the winter.
John jr pictured with a friend
They, in turn, nicknamed him the family nickname “Flip.” In tribute to his brother, Neil said, “My brother was all about family. Even our friends were considered family, it was like an extended family.
“He was a high school United States Marine. He served in Greneda, then he worked in the New York City Corrections Department and from there he retired and worked for the Concrete Laborers Union for a while.
“He was a great family man, loved his wife and children very much. In recent years he drove a bus for school children.
“He was a football coach, basketball coach. He was also a high school baseball coach and went to church. He was a regular at St. Charles Catholic Church’. Neil described John the son as a “prince” who “did everything for everyone.”
He said, ‘He was the heir to whom his father was. He did everything right. He was never in trouble, he did everything right. He was devoted to his girlfriend. He went to college and took the fire test, he tried to improve himself and thought about becoming a nurse.’
Speaking to MailOnline outside her home, Christine wiped away tears when she said she hadn’t fully accepted what happened to her family.
She said, ‘I’m just strong for my kids. It’s a shock, I go in and out. I’m just trying to keep it together. I have a very good family. John meant everything to me.
‘He was my rock. He was my rock. He was a family man and my poor son was only 20 years old.’
VIDEO: Staten Island residents feel ignored and forgotten…
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