Settlements Reached in Deaths of 3 New Jersey Boys

The families of three Camden, New Jersey boys who died in the trunk of a parked car four years ago have reached a settlement with its manufacturer.

But separate civil lawsuits filed against Camden, its police department, officers who conducted the search and other law enforcement authorities will continue.

Court records obtained by the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill show Toyota and the families of the boys – Daniel Agosto, 6; Anibal Cruz, 11; and Jesstin Pagan, 5 – recently reached $100,000 settlements.

Their suits claimed Toyota should be blamed, in part, because it did not encourage owners of its cars to install a safety release inside the trunks.

The boys disappeared from Cruz’s backyard on June 20, 2005, setting off a massive search of their neighborhood, the nearby Delaware River and a nearby rail yard.

About 48 hours after they disappeared, relatives looking for jumper cables found their bodies in the back of a broken-down Toyota Camry parked in the Cruz family’s yard.