'He was like family.' East Flatbush community mourns death of beloved baseball coach killed in fire
The sudden death has shaken the Bonnies community, where Castro was known not only as a coach, but as a mentor and father figure.
A longtime youth baseball coach and his mother were killed in a fire that tore through their East Flatbush apartment building Saturday morning.
The FDNY says the fire broke out on the second floor of an apartment building near Nostrand Avenue and Cortelyou Road shortly before 7 a.m.
Sixty-five-year-old Jose Castro and his 86-year-old mother, Maria, were pronounced dead at the scene. Two other residents were injured in the fire.
Flowers, candles and baseball memorabilia formed outside the building as a growing memorial for Castro, who spent 41 years coaching with the Bonnie Youth Club.
“He was loved,” said Kevin Rice, president of the Bonnies. “He coached thousands of players. He was just so involved and passionate about what he did.”
Friends say Castro’s impact stretched far beyond the baseball field.
“Someone who cared about the future of his players, whether they were successful in baseball or successful as adults,” Rice said. “He just wanted to make sure they accomplished their goals and dreams.”
The sudden death has shaken the Bonnies community, where Castro was known not only as a coach, but as a mentor and father figure.
“Emotional. Struggling,” said Matthew Pearson, a friend of Castro’s and former Bonnies coach. “You know him and the way he loved his mother. It’s tragic. It’s just so sad that to take someone with that kind of energy, that kind of enthusiasm for life.”
Neighbors who lived near Castro and his mother said the pair had been part of the block for more than four decades.
“He was like family,” one neighbor said.
Friends say Castro often made sure children could participate in programs even if their families could not afford the costs.
A cause of the fire was still unknown as of Monday night.
Link previous coverage: https://brooklyn.news12.com/two-dead-two-seriously-injured-in-east-flatbush-fire
