MERIDEN, Conn. — A Meriden father is facing charges after his stepson died in a go-kart crash back in April at Kronenberger Park.
Thirty-year-old Steven Stolfi has been charged with two counts of risk of injury to a child.
However, the family said what happened was a tragic accident and now wants to share their side of the story.
“Nobody thinks they’re ever going to have to bury their child, and we had to go through that. And now, six months later, we have to deal with this? It’s horrifying; I’m scared,” said Kali Warzecha, who lost her son, Adrian, in the crash.
Warzecha and Stolfi have been partners and raising their kids together for five years. Since the crash, the two of them say they have been struggling to live without Adrian.
“I’m trying to do what he would want to do. I know he wouldn’t want us to sit and dig a hole and lie in it. I know he would want us to live our lives to the fullest even though it’s very hard for me to do that,” Warzecha said.
Meriden police say Adrian barreled through a gate at the park while riding his go kart, with his little brother in tow. Warzecha said Adrian was later pronounced dead at the hospital, while their other four-year-old son wasn’t hurt.
“This was a fun spring break evening, turned into a living hell,” Warzecha said.
Now, Warzecha said tragedy is getting worse, with Stolfi facing charges in connection to the incident.
“It’s terrifying. I’m going to lose my partner potentially; they’re going to lose their father. It’s already hard enough grieving him, and we’re in the midst of grieving him,” Warzecha said.
Warzecha said the charges come as a surprise to the family.
“I love spending time with my kids more than anything and finding ways to interact with them and to be a role model for them and to get them to try new things,” Stolfi said.
Those things, which Stolfi and Warzecha grew up with, involved building go karts and riding them.
Stolfi said he bought a kit for Adrian about a year ago and put it together while following all instructions by the book.
In the arrest warrant, police said that go kart was originally meant to go up to five miles per hour and was modified by Stolfi to reach a maximum speed of 28 miles per hour.
Detectives also said they found multiple deficiencies with the go kart, saying it was likely the result of “poor workmanship” with “no seatbelts or harnesses.” Police also noted the accelerator pedal “would not allow a small child to rest his foot on the floorboard of the go-kart.” Concluding the pedal could “easily be stuck in acceleration as to the right of the pedal is an open gap.”
But Stolfi argues the speed limits mentioned by police don’t apply to the kit he assembled through GoPowerSports. Stolfi said the five miles per hour limit applies to the Fisher Price Power Wheel, which he said he only used for aesthetics, not the body of the go kart.
“The Fisher Price Power Wheels with their plastic tires and their plastic body is supposed to travel at five miles an hour, yes. The go kart in question was a steel frame gas-powered go kart with actual rubber karting tires,” Stolfi said. “Not plastic tires and a steel frame. It was completely designed to reach and attain the speeds that they claim that it can go.”
The couple noted that the medical examiner ruled Adrian’s cause of death to be accidental.
“The police even told us when they came to our house that they couldn’t imagine that he would be charged, and now we’re being hit six months later with this? It’s horrible,” Warzecha said.
Now, they’re hoping for the best as they try to stay strong for their other children, living in honor of their angel.
“He was a funny kid; nothing upset him. Nothing made him upset. He could go into such a sad environment and light it up,” Warzecha said. “He loves Steven. And I know he is not happy right now.”
Stolfi has a court date scheduled for next month. He said he’s trying to find a lawyer but is struggling to afford a good one. If it comes to it, Stolfi said he will take this case to trial.
----
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
----
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.