CROWN HEIGHTS — A 15-year-old boy plunged four stories to his death when he tried to jump "like Spider-Man" from one rooftop to another while playing tag, police and witnesses said.
Tyhreek Riley, who lived in East Flatbush and hoped to one day become a doctor, was playing with four other boys when he tried to leap across a 10-foot gap, from 1145 to 1153 President St., and fell at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, police said.
Tyhreek was pronounced dead at the scene, an NYPD spokeswoman said.
The kids were playing manhunt, a version of tag, police said.
"They're good kids, but they've been doing this about a year. They just jump from roof to roof like Spider-Man," said Nick Brown, 31, who saw the boy's body from his fourth-floor window in 1145 President St.
"I've tried to warn them, but they don't listen. It's cold out and they don't have nothing else to do. It was a matter of time before this happened," he added.
Others had also tried unsuccessfully to warn the group.
"They were up on the roof jumping back and forth. I heard stomping on top of my roof. I thought it was going to cave," said Ivorine Dixon, 41, another fourth-floor tenant of 1145 President St.
"My dad went up and told them to get off, but they kept going," Dixon added.
After interviewing the other kids Tyhreek was with, investigators believe there was no criminality involved, a police spokeswoman said.
The family of Tyhreek, the second youngest of six brothers, said he was he was loving, eager to learn and a devoted attendee of the Shiloh Seventh Day Adventist Church, 449 Eastern Parkway.
It is with sad hearts that we mention the loss of our son, brother, & friend, Tyrheek Riley. We pray that God will be with the Riley family.
— Shiloh SDA Church (@shilohsda) March 13, 2015"He was innocent to the world. He enjoyed going to church. He was always there, always dedicated," said his aunt, Carrell Clarke, 36.
"He wanted to become a doctor. He wanted to help people and give back," Clarke added.
The police department tried to persuade people to take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
"The NYPD would like to ask all parents, politicians, churches, adults and all other organizations to remind children of the danger of playing on rooftops," an NYPD spokesman said.
