One of the youngest participants in the event angles for a better view.
A throng of area residents gathered in Red Bank’s Riverside Gardens Park Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil to express solidarity with David Goldman of Tinton Falls in his quest to repatriate his 9-year-old son Sean from Brazil.
About 125 locals were supplemented by a throng of metro-area media for the informal event, held to mark the fifth anniversary of the day that Sean was taken on vacation by his mother, Bruna, to her native country.
He never returned: she died last year in the midst of a custody battle.
“Obviously, it’s not a joyous day,” Goldman family friend and vigil organizer Mark DeAngelis of Holmdel told the solemn crowd as the sun set over the Navesink River behind him.
Participants lit votive candles at sunset.
Similar vigils were held in at least six other cities in the U.S., said DeAngelis, one of the co-founders of an organization called Bring Sean Home.
“I think we all see the injustice,” DeAnglis said, alluding to a series of Brazilian court rulings that have blocked Goldman from bringing his son home. “But we’re determined to see this through.”
David Goldman was not present, but his parents were.
The Star-Ledger has video of the event. Here’s an article and slideshow in by the Asbury Park Press.
There was ample TV news coverage. Here’s a report from ABC’s Eyewitness News.
