Settlements Reached in Deaths of 3 New Jersey Boys

The families of three Camden boys who died in the trunk of a parked car four years ago have reached a settlement with its manufacturer.

But separate civil lawsuits filed against Camden, its police department, officers who conducted the search and other law enforcement authorities will continue.

Court records obtained by the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill show Toyota and the families of the boys — Daniel Agosto, 6; Anibal Cruz, 11; and Jesstin Pagan, 5 — recently reached $100,000 settlements.

Their suits claimed Toyota should be blamed, in part, because it did not encourage owners of its cars to install a safety release inside the trunks.

The boys disappeared from Cruz’s backyard on June 20, 2005, setting off a massive search of their neighborhood, the nearby Delaware River and a nearby rail yard.

About 48 hours after they disappeared, relatives looking for jumper cables found their bodies in the back of a broken-down Toyota Camry parked in the Cruz family’s yard.

Latest Comments

• August 25, 2009 at 4:44 am

  Professional says:

  David, I agree that while we are all angry with the parents, name calling does no good. As insurance professionals, we all know that there is generally not a "stupidity exclu... read more
• August 25, 2009 at 1:42 am

  Maria says:

  That makes me wonder if they were put there, or if they were never looked for that hard.
• August 25, 2009 at 1:33 am

  Batman says:

  What I never understood about this is why the kids did not call out when they were searching for them? I remember playing in an old junk yard with my brother and we were in t... read more