Boy Who Died in Apparent Fish Allergy Remembered at Vigil

What to Know

The 11-year-old Brooklyn boy who died at his home on New Year's Day from a food allergy reaction was remembered at a vigil Friday[hhmc]
Camron Jean-Pierre died after suffering an apparent reaction to cooking fish at his grandmother's home in Canarsie[hhmc]
Friends and family remembered the boy as vibrant and happy[hhmc]

The 11-year-old boy who died suddenly in an apparent food allergy-related death at his grandmother's home in Brooklyn was mourned Friday night as a funny, uplifting kid who loved to play football.

Crowds turned out in a huge show of support for Camron Jean-Pierre and his family at a vigil Friday night. Pictures of Jean-Pierre were lit by rows of candles in front of the Canarsie home where he died. The Piscataway, New Jersey, boy died Tuesday after suffering an allergic reaction to fish being cooked at his grandmother's home on 82nd Street.

One of the photos showed the grinning boy wearing a crown on his birthday.

"I"m like, 'You're not going to wear a crown to school,'" his grieving father, Steven Jean-Pierre, recalled. "He's like, I'm really going to wear it.' That whole day, Cam'ron wore that crown. That whole day."

Brooklyn Boy Dies of Food Allergy Reaction

"He was happy. That's the last picture I have of him," he said. "I'd never thought all this for him. This is not what I want. I'd rather him be right here next to me."

The boy loved pee-wee football, friends and family recalled.

"Every time he couldn't get it, he'd try harder," said Brandon Mayo.

"Funny character," Valentino Avalos said. "Always happy. Always uplifting. This news is heart-shattering for me."

Steven Jean-Pierre is determined his son's death won't be in vain.

"I just want to see from this situation how we can help other kids," he said. "Maybe my son passing is a reson to do it."

Getty Images/iStockphoto

The family said they haven't received an official cause of death report from the medical examiner.

Fish is one of eight major food allergies responsible for most of the serious allergy reactions in the U.S. and can produce life-threatening reactions in rare cases, according to Food Allergy Research & Education. It affects approximately 400,000 children in the U.S.

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