Three-month-old Reece Modzelewski died at 12:03 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23, 2016.
SADDLE BROOK - Three-month old Reece Modzelewski, hospitalized with head injuries after being dropped by a babysitter, died Friday when his family removed him from a hospital life support system.
"They took him off life support at noon. He died at 12:03 p.m.," said Benjamin DiFranco, a friend who raised more than $16,000 in one day to help the family.
Reece Modzelewski (Family photo) Police said a family member babysitting Reece in a home on Midland Avenue told them she dropped the infant about 3 p.m. Tuesday.
When officers arrived, they found the baby unconscious and unresponsive, said township Police Chief Robert Kugler.
The babysitter "told officers the baby accidentally fell from her arms and hit the floor with his head," the chief said.
The chief did not identify the babysitter.
Reece's death will be investigated by Saddle Brook Police and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, Kugler said.
Reece was the only child of Mark Modzelewski, 32, and Nicole Nicastro, 34, of Carteret.
Nicole Nicastro, a pre-K teacher at James F. Murray Elementary School No. 38 in Jersey City, routinely drove the baby from Carteret to Saddle Brook, where she left him with the sitter before driving to work in Hudson County, friends said.
"She was doing what she thought was best for the baby," DiFranco said.
In addition to DiFranco's fundraising efforts, Alissa Cabrera Farese has set up a GoFundMe page to create a permanent memorial for the baby in a park.
She said friends are doing what they can to help the couple get through difficult times ahead.
"It's awful," said Cabrera Farese. "You can't imagine what the parents are going through."
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.