‘Heartbreaking': Support floods in for family of teen killed in Green parade accident
NORTH CANTON, Ohio (WJW) – The people of North Canton are mourning the loss of 13-year-old Matthew Schultz, who passed away on Monday after a tragic accident at the Memorial Day parade in Green.
Investigators said Matthew fell off of a parade trailer that was being pulled by a pickup truck, and was then struck by the back wheels of the trailer as it slowly continued to roll along the parade route.
Matthew was a seventh grader at North Canton Middle School and on Tuesday, his grieving classmates decorated his locker with notes showing their love and support for the 13-year-old.
'A bright light': Teen who died after fall from Memorial Day parade float in Green remembered as 'loyal and funny'
Among those deeply touched by the story is 18-year-old Peyton Craig, a 2025 graduate of North Canton High School.
'Hearing that it happened to someone in our community was heartbreaking. Like, I just had to take a moment and pause and think about it because that could happen to anybody at any time,' she said.
Craig was part of a junior achievement team that created what they call the 'Calm Canvas.'
Each canvas is a paint by numbers image that enables those dealing with loss or trauma to express their emotion in colors that match their feelings.
She is donating Calm Canvases to each of the schools in North Canton as healing tools for grief counselors, as they meet with students and staff struggling with Matthew's death.
'When they are coloring, they are learning and practicing coping mechanisms that they can take with them for the rest of their lives,' she said.
During a press conference in Green on Tuesday morning, Danielle Paciorek, who is a spokesperson for the Schultz family, told reporters, 'I'm speaking on behalf of the family of Matthew Schultz, who are experiencing unimaginable heartbreak after the tragic loss of their beautiful beloved son Matthew.'
Close friends have created a GoFundMe page to support Matthew's family and donations have been made by people across Northeast Ohio.
'The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to everyone who has reached out with love and support and prayers, all the support over these few days,' said Paciorek.
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One of the most touching demonstrations of support for Matthew's family came from Green firefighters who rushed to his side at the parade on Monday.
Their union is now donating money that was raised from their annual pancake breakfast on Memorial Day to Matthew's loved ones.
The people of North Canton and the surrounding areas of Stark County and Summit County said they are letting the family know that they are being held in loving and healing arms.
'Matthew's absence leaves a hole that can't be filled, but his spirit will live on for everyone he touched,' Paciorek said.
Learn more about the GoFundMe page right here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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