Man urinates on memorial for boy who died from brain cancer

Author: CBS News
Published: Updated:
Memorial for the boy who died from cancer. (Credit: CBS)
Memorial for the boy who died from cancer. (Credit: CBS)

A man was caught on camera urinating on a memorial for a little boy who died from cancer at Underhill Park in Mays Landing. Police say Bryan Bellace and Daniel Flippen, both 23 years olds, are now facing charges.

Bellace was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, lewdness and having an open alcoholic beverage in a park.

According to police, Bellace was the man seen urinating on the memorial.

Police say Flippen filmed the video and was charged with having an open alcoholic beverage in a park.

The video was posted to social media Sunday, showing a man urinating and laughing on the memorial for 9-year-old Christian Clopp, who died of cancer seven years ago.

“It’s a disgusting act,” Paul Burgan said.

“As a single parent you think, ‘What if that was my child?’” Desmond Walker said.

Two Mays Landing men saw the video and immediately reacted with kindness.

“We went down here, came with gloves, sanitizer and we got it cleaned up,” Walker said.

It didn’t take them too much time to clean up the mess, but they say it was meant to show the boy’s family that the community doesn’t stand for that sort of bad behavior.

“We come together. This is our community,” Burgan said. “When stuff like this happens, we come together. We take care of what needs to be done.”

The memorial sits in an all-access playground and it was built in Clopp’s memory.

Mark Clopp, Christian’s father, took to Facebook to thank those who reached out in support of his family.

He also wrote, “I don’t understand this world today. A friend of ours came over today to inform us that a video was posted of two scumbags urinating on Christian’s memorial at his playground.”

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