Devastated family and friends gathered Thursday for an emotional funeral remembering a beloved high school football star stabbed to death by a stranger on a Manhattan street in the early hours of Thanksgiving.
The jam-packed service for Rocco Rodden, 17, began shortly after 10 a.m. with his father Douglas and mother Angelina joined by their three other children and relatives in the front pews of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Stirling, N.J. The siblings and their parents stood together with their hands on his casket as the funeral began, taking their seats after leaving a crucifix behind.
“Today we give thanks to God for the gift of Rocco,” said Bishop Kevin Sweeney of the Archdiocese of Paterson as the sad 75-minute service neared its finish. “As we gather in faith now, we promise our prayers to Rocco’s family.”
The victim’s brother Anthony and their sister Gianna were with the teen when the deadly encounter began, with the trio earlier attending a private party at a lower Manhattan ax-throwing venue on Lafayette St. near White St. in Tribeca. Video of the incident obtained by cops shows Rocco taking a punch to the face from his killer, setting the confrontation in lethal motion, with the shoeless attacker stabbing both brothers.
Anthony, 19, took 50 stitches to close his wound after Rocco died in his arms, their father said.
The 6-foot, 280-pound offensive lineman was remembered fondly, with one eulogist encouraging the mourners to “strive to live as he did. In the final stretch of his life, Rocco went down fighting …. let us keep his spirit alive.”
Once she finished, Frank Sinatra’s anthemic recording of “My Way” echoed through the silent church. The service ended with the song “What Does It Look Like in Heaven?” by the duo Dani and Lizzie as Rocco’s casket was wheeled down the aisle.
“He leaves behind a legacy of kindness, a contagiously bright smile, and a life characterized by a profound sense of caring compassion, and the utmost loyalty,” the family said in a statement. “A true warrior, the light of the darkest room, the eye of the tiger.”
One day earlier, the wake for Rodden was packed with mourners devastated by his shocking death, with the family heading to the victim’s Thursday entombment at St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Colonia.
Accused killer Gianluca Bordone, of Oyster Bay, L.I., was released Wednesday from Rikers Island, Department of Correction records show, after his bail was reduced to $1 million and then posted. The suspect, charged with manslaughter and assault, was arrested about a mile from the crime scene after fleeing in a taxi and was initially jailed on $4 million cash or $12 million bond.
