Dad fires son from family business after horrific act at memorial of child cancer victim
A 23-year-old plumber, accused of urinating on a memorial dedicated to a boy who died from cancer, has been sacked by his own father.
Bryan Bellace, of Egg Harbor City, in New Jersey’s Atlantic County, was charged on Sunday with urinating on a plaque that honoured nine-year-old boy Christian Clopp, who died from a brain tumour in 2012.
The young man’s arrest came after a shocking video caught him urinating on the park memorial while wearing a company T-shirt with the name and logo visible, local news outlet Press of Atlantic City has reported.
Bryan Bellace’s father Bruce said he fired his son from the family business Bruce Bellace Plumbing and Heating, following community backlash from the video, which had been shared on Snapchat.
"I had to remove him from employment," Bruce Bellace told the Press of Atlantic City on Monday.
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"We apologised to [Christian’s] family... I'm sorry for his actions. I'm not proud of him," he added.
Bruce Bellace told the news outlet he and his wife had been responding to Facebook messages and phone calls from strangers since Sunday, apologising for their son's behaviour.
Bryan Bellace was reportedly released ahead of his May 29 court appearance.
Daniel Flippen, 23, who police say recorded the video, has reportedly been charged with having an open alcoholic beverage in a park.
Christian’s father Mark Clopp wrote an emotional Facebook post Monday morning condemning the actions of the pair involved in the video.
"I have no idea what exists in your life to make you so indifferent to how others feel, but I hope this serves as a wake-up call and you get the help you need," he wrote.
“Something is wrong in your life and you need to fix it. You have done serious damage to your reputation; only you can fix it. How you respond to this dictates the direction your life will take.”
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