Editor\u2019s note: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be reduced with the proper mental health support and treatment. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Eric Steinhilber, 30, who was known for his \u201cnatural charisma\u201d and \u201ckindhearted\u201d nature, spent the last year trying to rebuild his life after relapsing into addiction, according to his attorney. <\/p>\n
That fight tragically ended on Friday, when Steinhilber took his life in the municipal parking garage next to the Staten Island Courthouse in St. George after an appearance in an ongoing case.<\/p>\n
He had recently moved to Staten Island from New Jersey. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe were devastated to learn of the death of our client Eric Steinhilber on Friday,\u201d his attorney Stephanie Pope said in a statement to the Advance\/SILive.com. <\/p>\n
She said Steinhilber was a union electrician \u201cwho had a promising future\u201d despite his legal hurdles. <\/p>\n
\u201cEric dedicated the last year to rebuilding his life after relapse into opioid use disorder,\u201d Pope said. \u201cHe was fiercely committed to his recovery and surrounded by a loving family who supported him in that journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pope added, \u201cWe hope Eric will be remembered not for this tragic event but for the meaningful progress he was making in recovery, his generosity, and his kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born and raised in New Jersey<\/p>\n
Born in Pompton Plains, Steinhilber lived most of his life in Totowa, New Jersey. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 102 in Parsippany. He worked multiple jobs, including for a plumbing company and at ShopRite in the New Jersey communities of Ramsey and Little Falls.<\/p>\n
\u201cEric was loved by all that met him, he had a natural charisma about him that instantly made you care for him,\u201d his obituary said<\/a>. \u201cHe was generous and kindhearted.<\/p>\n \u201cHe loved spending time with his family and especially enjoyed it when everyone was together for the holidays and other special occasions. He had a wonderful sense of humor and made us all laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n He \u201cadored\u201d the daughter of his girlfriend Emily Sirugo, according to his obituary.<\/p>\n Steinhilber mentored children through the Police Athletic League in Totowa where he had played football, baseball, soccer, basketball, and floor hockey as a youth. He rooted for his favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys.<\/p>\n Battling substance use disorder<\/p>\n \u201cYour family and friends knew you were more than your addiction,\u201d the obituary said, adding that \u201cwe will all remember Eric for the loving and warm person he was. Your battle is over kiddo; you are finally free.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEric was a good kid who struggled with issues,\u201d said his stepfather, Tom Daub. \u201cHe was not a criminal. He needed help, not jail. Sadly, that wasn\u2019t an option.\u201d<\/p>\n Steinhilber had appeared in court on Friday morning, where he was sentenced to three years of incarceration after pleading guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Steinhilber was granted time to say goodbye to his family before stepping into custody, and was found mortally wounded a short time later.<\/a><\/p>\n Pope said that Steinhilber had the steadfast support of his loved ones as the legal process unfolded.<\/p>\n \u201cLast spring, more than a dozen relatives and friends wrote letters to the court praising his gentle and thoughtful nature and his contributions to the community,\u201d Pope said. \u201cWe on his legal team were also privileged to observe these qualities throughout the time we knew him.\u201d <\/p>\n \u2018The strain\u2019 of the prospect of incarceration<\/p>\n Pope advocates for treatment, rather than jail time, for people suffering from substance use disorder or mental illnesses.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a defense attorney, I regularly witness the strain the prospect of incarceration places on our clients and their families, particularly those grappling with mental illness or addiction,\u201d Pope said. \u201cEric\u2019s death is a heartbreaking reminder of the human cost of imprisoning those who need treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to his stepfather, the obituary says that he is survived by his mother, Pamela Steinhilber Daub (Wurczinger) of Totowa, and grandmother Dolores Wurczinger.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: The Advance\/SILive.com typically limits reporting on suicides to those that occur in crowded public places, involve public figures or, in special circumstances, where there is a larger public impact. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s note: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be reduced with the proper mental health support and treatment. If…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44933,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-44932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44932\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}