Plaque honoring local teen hero who died trying to save another removed by HOA
MIAMI - A plaque to honor the life and heroic death of Aden Perry at the spot where he died.
The teen broke his neck after jumping into a pond in Sunrise just over a year ago. He was trying to save another teen who's car plunged into the water.
"It says be kind, be inspirational, be brilliant, be selfless. Be like Aden Spencer Perry, our hero and angel," his mom Sarah read off the plaque.
Sarah comes here every day. She was stunned to learn the HOA of the Residences at Sawgrass Mills opted to remove the plaque, that they paid for an installed just months ago.
"They told me they thought it was going to set a precedent and I don't understand that. I mean how many people die a hero, how many people come to this lake and lose their life to save somebody else?" Sarah asked.
"I went to the management company and reached out to several board members to find out why they removed it."
In an email, Miami Management, Inc. said, " At this time, the association has no comment regarding the matter. Sarah Perry, Aiden's mother was provided a detailed explanation and arrangements made for her to be present, so she could take possession of it when it was removed."
Sarah was there as it came down a few days before Mother's Day.
"Right now, I have it at my house. It doesn't belong at my house. It belongs here for the community to see. It's meant to honor my son," she said.
Friends visit here too. "He was a hero, he was trying to save someone's life. It didn't turn out as we would have thought. I honestly feel like it's a disappointment. It shouldn't have happened," said Savanna Sakhleh.
Aden's mom hopes for a change of heart, that the plaque will go back up. "This is sacred area. Something amazing happened here, something that had an impact on the community even beyond this community. You don't come across heroes like that every day," she said.
Sarah honors her son, offering scholarships for acts of kindness from the Aden Perry Good Samaritan Scholarship Fund. She also has the Aden Perry Hero Life Ring Initiative that provides life rings to prevent drownings.
Aden would have graduated from Western High School next month. His mom tells us that she plans to go to that graduation ceremony to pick up his diploma.