Disappeared near Brooklyn Mirage, 1 year later: “I didn’t have to die”

WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn (PIX11) – The world watched as Eamon Stenson searched for his best friend, John Castic, who went missing after leaving the Brooklyn Mirage last July. His body was found a few days later in Newtown Creek.

About a month earlier, Karl Clemente's family embarked on the same tragic search. The 27-year-old showed up in the same cove that separates Queens and Brooklyn.

The medical examiner determined that both men died from drowning. Clemente's death was ruled an accident. Funerals were held for both young men and spectators continued to fill the Mirage every evening.

But some questions remain as loved ones readjust to life after such a massive loss.

“Life is pretty short, as I’ve discovered. Anything can happen to you at any time,” Stenson, a close friend of Castic, told PIX11 News. “I would love to come back with him for a minute.”

John Castic missing

Many things bring back memories of John Castic for his best friend, like seeing a movie or flipping through old duo gaming videos.

“I just wish he was here a little bit sometimes,” Stenson said. “I know he is with me every day; it's just a little difficult.

In the first few weeks, life moved at “a million miles a minute” for Castic's friends, who quickly went from posting missing signs around Williamsburg to packing up his apartment in New York. Once everything settled, the pain set in, Stenson said.

Stenson remembers Castic, an analyst at Goldman Sachs, as a brilliant man and an avid reader. He loved Chicago sports and spending time with his friends, and he always wanted a dog. Stenson said Castic was the kindest person he had ever met.

“It was [the] the best friend I ever had; I liked it. He was my brother,” Stenson said. “If you needed to vent he was there, if you needed to laugh he was there, if you needed to cry he was there. And he would do that for everyone.

In his honor, Castic's friends are collecting donations in his name for a pet adoption center, PAWS Chicago.

Honoring the Legacy of Karl Clemente

On Friday, brightly colored roses floated on the water near where Clemente's body was found, a gesture by his loved ones to keep his memory alive.

“If we just remember him and think about him, he’s still with us,” said Henry Sang, who met Clemente in 2015.

Clemente was born in the Bronx and was living in Queens when he died. He spent his days helping young people with their mental health issues as a clinical case manager at Advance Care Alliance in New York.

Clemente brought humor to every room he was in – and always roasted his friends. He loved Marvel, loved road trips with his friends, and taking on ridiculous challenges. He was a talented guitarist and songwriter and performed in a band in New York.

“When I wake up in the morning, I open his door to his room. I still wish he was here lying or making up songs,” his father, Alex Clemente, told PIX11 News.

The money Clemente's parents had saved for him will now go toward a scholarship to a university in the Philippines, a medical mission to the Philippines, and support for mental and behavioral issues.

“I feel like a part of us is really missing,” said Nicole Christopher, a college friend of Clemente. “May Karl’s soul rest in peace.”

Looking for answers

Clemente disappeared on June 11, 2023, after being turned away from the Mirage, his father told the New York Post. His body was recovered from Newtown Creek on June 16, 2023.

But it wasn't until Castic, also 27, disappeared that elected officials were informed of Clemente's death, the first sign that the NYPD was mishandling parts of the case, according to Jennifer Gutiérrez , a city council member, who represents parts of Williamsburg, Bushwick and Ridgewood.

Castic was reported missing after attending a show at the Brooklyn Mirage on July 29, 2023. A few days later, he too was found dead in Newtown Creek.

In the months following their deaths, elected officials were still unaware of the investigation by the New York Police Department, according to Gutiérrez. So, the city councilor brought together a number of elected officials and NYPD personnel to be on the same page.

“It was not to agitate, we wanted the investigation to be completed; we wanted to bring closure to these families,” Gutiérrez said. “At what point, after what death are we like, OK, we have to find a solution.”

It was the only formal meeting of its kind in the past year, but some responses have come since.

An NYPD spokesperson told PIX11 News that Castic and Clemente's cases are closed, but declined to answer additional questions from PIX11 about the nature of the deaths and the investigations.

Both men died from drowning, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Only Clemente's death was officially ruled an accident. The circumstances of Castic's death remain “undetermined,” but his father told media outlets there were no signs of foul play.

In the days after Castic's death, spectators still flocked to the Mirage as “missing” flyers were plastered on nearby poles.

For Stenson, it was frustrating to see the Brooklyn Mirage return to business as usual when his life was anything but. Barring a statement posted to its Instagram Story, the Mirage has made little public mention of Castic and Clemente's deaths.

Gutiérrez agreed, although she added that tours of the Mirage and discussions with security since the deaths gave her confidence that the Mirage was making appropriate safety efforts.

“I think there is a certain level of responsibility in looking at where we are. You are a huge concert hall… in an industrial zone,” Gutiérrez said. “You're in a place that's not meant to accommodate that many people in one night. … And [the Mirage is] you will always have to take a million steps.

Move forward

Given the Brooklyn Mirage's location in an area of ​​industrial activity, there are many issues that could contribute to an accidental death, such as lack of street lighting, poor phone and internet connectivity, damaged roads, and its proximity to Newtown Creek.

Many spectators identified similar safety concerns in a letter sent to elected officials last summer. They also expressed concerns about the size of the crowd and the lack of supervision, which Gutiérrez said he pursued.

Infrastructure improvements to the industrial zone have begun but remain unfinished, Gutiérrez said.

According to its website, the Mirage added lights to nearby intersections and beefed up its “pedestrian and traffic team,” spreading staff further out from the site. The site also coordinated with the city to crack down on unlicensed drivers and designated rideshare pickup locations. The site works with major carriers to improve cellular service.

The site is pushing for more city interventions, such as better lighting, waterway fencing, sidewalk improvements and connectivity in the area, according to its website.

A Department of Transportation spokesperson said the agency has resurfaced several roads and improved street lighting conditions in the area, as part of regular maintenance and in response to community concerns.

“These are young people… who didn’t need to die,” Gutiérrez said. “The fact that two bodies were found in the creek is not something we should be insensitive to.”