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Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Daily Mail
Heartbroken parents of teen who was fatally struck by train a decade ago say she was murdered for being lesbian
The heartbroken parents of a New Jersey teenager who was fatally struck by a train a decade ago say she was murdered for being lesbian, a new lawsuit claims. Tiffany Valiante, of Mays Landing, died after she was hit by a New Jersey Transit train traveling 80mph on July 12, 2015. After less than 12 hours investigators determined that she died by suicide and purposely stepped in front of the oncoming train. Valiante had just graduated high school and was set to attend Mercy College on a volleyball scholarship. Her cause of death has long been disputed by her family. They alleged key findings in the investigation did not add up, and that officials did not properly handle crucial evidence correctly before coming to the conclusion. Now, the late teen's mother and father, Dianne and Stephen Valiante, have decided to take a stand on behalf of their daughter. On Friday, the couple filed a lawsuit against the Garden State, NJ Transit, its police department and the New Jersey Chief Medical Examiner's Office, alleging their child's death was misclassified as a suicide because authorities did not consider she might have been a victim of a 'hate crime'. The legal filing, obtained by Daily Mail, specifically highlighted newly recovered text messages between Valiante and at least two others that included anti-LGBTQ+ slurs directed at her. Valiante's sexual orientation was known and accepted by her family and friends, but investigators ruled she took her own life without considering how her being a lesbian might have played a role, the lawsuit stated. Specifically, investigators did not interview Dianne, Stephen or other family members to see if Valiante 'exhibited signs of indicative of depression, anxiety, stress, or any expression of suicidal ideation,' per the lawsuit. The filing also said they did not look into the teen's medical history to see if she had a mental health disorder, that investigators 'did not conduct a standard psychological autopsy' and did not test DNA evidence that was discovered on her body. News of the lawsuit came on what would have been her 28th birthday, as her parents, her sisters and their lawyer, Paul D'Amato, sat down for a news conference. Surrounded by images of Valiante, D'Amato briefly explained the grounds of the lawsuit before her parents spoke of their late daughter. 'She'd be 28-years-old today,' Dianne tearfully said. 'A college graduate, a caring member of the community, probably a member of law enforcement herself, or in the military - these were careers she dreamed of. 'We love her and miss her every single second of the day,' she added before thanking the public for supporting them to help them 'try and get our story out.' Her father Stephen held up an image of Valiante in one of her hands as he visibly got emotional. During the investigation, Michael Valiante, her uncle, told NJ Transit Police that she had 'an argument with a family member' before leaving 'a family gathering' that night. She was last seen in outdoor footage leaving her family's driveway around 9.28pm that day, wearing a t-shirt, shorts, shoes and a headband. She was very close to her family, including her parents and siblings, but despite that, her mother said there were times when she and Valiante bickered more than usual. Dianne previously told The Daily Beast that their feuding was 'normal teenage stuff.' During their only therapy session in 2014, Dianne admitted to being short-tempered, attributing it to menopausal changes, the outlet said. Her daughter told the professional, who concluded the mother and daughter had 'trouble communicating,' and that she was not suicidal or depressed, per the outlet. In early 2015, Valiante came out as gay, and although she thought it was initially a phase, Dianne and her husband were supportive of their daughter. Just weeks before her death, Valiante had broken up with a girl she was dating from Philadelphia. The split was amicable, per the outlet. Around 11pm, nearly two hours after she vanished, Valiante's family started to worry about where she was. They went out and searched for her themselves, but when her brother Michael spotted police activity near a railroad track by the family home, he questioned what happened. NJ Transit Police soon told him a woman had died there, but did not confirm she was his sister. He was unable to identify her body, which was found with just a sports bra and underwear on at the time. 'What I saw that night, no one needs to see that. It was probably one of the most horrific things I've seen, being struck by a train,' Michael said on Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries. He broke the devastating news to his parents that the dead woman found on the tracks was in fact his sister around 2.30am. It is not the first time her family has taken legal action to try to get to the bottom of her death, as they have taken NJ Transit to court on several occasions to obtain investigation records. In 2017, authorities said they would look over the initial medical examiner' findings, but suicide has remained the cause of death. The family has yet to receive all of the requested paperwork, The Daily Beast reported. Michelle Amendolia, the nurse who pronounced Valiante dead that dreadful day, also spoke on Friday at the press conference as she detailed how it was not unusual for pedestrian deaths involving a train to be ruled a suicide. But, according to Amendolia, the fact that the victim was found with little to no clothes on made the case suspicious to her. She said that when people are hit by trains their body remains mostly intact and fully clothed, but 'this was not the case here.' 'That was my first pedestrian with a train strike, and since then I've done about five more,' Amendolia said. 'If I were called to the scene today, I would tell law enforcement not to rush and pursue this as a suicide, but instead as a crime.' Her parents are seeking damages under the New Jersey Constitutional Amendment for Victims' Rights, according to D'Amato. The bill states that a victim of a crime in New Jersey has to be treated with 'fairness, compassion and respect by the criminal justice system'. 'I'm asking the state of New Jersey, work with us, don't fight us,' D'Amato said at the press conference.
Irish Independent
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Young Sligo athletes Lucie Cawley and Briain Cullinan break Irish records at Tailteann Games
Also competing was Lucie Cawley (Mercy College, Sligo) who won the 1500m steeple chase. Lucie's time of sub 5min for 1500m steeple broke the Tailteann Schools Irish record for this event. This is Lucie's 3rd record achieved this year and her fantastic performances have earned her a well deserved place on the Irish team travelling to the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival which is being held in Skopje, North Macedonia from the 20 to 26 July 2025. Nicole Flanagan (Mercy College, Sligo) competed in both the Long Jump and Triple Jump and won silver with a brilliant second place in the triple jump. Briain, Lucie and Nicole's performances on the day earn them selection for the 2025 SIAB (Schools International Athletic Board) Track & Field Championships which will be held on Saturday, 19th July 2025 at Moorways Stadium, Derby, England. This prestigious event features Under-17 athletes from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, selected based on their performances at national championships. There were some great performances also by Mila Clancy in the long jump, and Riona Luse as she tied for 5th in the high jump and filled the 4th pace spot in the triple jump. Ross Campbell keeps going from strength to strength as he took a brilliant 6th place in the boys 1500m steeplechase and Ruairí McLoughlin took 7th place in the boys hammer with a brilliant throw of 34m 52cm. Sinead Evans, brand new to the sport this year ran close to a personal best in the girls 1500metres and will blossom over the coming year. Congratulations to all the juvenile athletes and to their coach, Dermot McDermott.
Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Live reaction to State exams: Leaving Cert French and Junior Cycle home economics
10 minutes ago Leaving Cert: French (9.30-12 midday) and history (2-4.50pm) Junior Cycle: Home economics (9.30-11am) and Spanish (1.30-3.30pm) Student diary : 'I'm aiming for as high as I can get – then it's time for Albufeira' Classroom to College : Sign up to our essential newsletter on the exams, third level and further education 9 minutes ago 07/06/2024 - The exam hall at Lucan Community College. exams, Leaving Certificate, Junior Certificate stock Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times Junior Cycle home economics: Paper 'brought a smile to students and teachers' This morning's Junior Cycle home economics paper was very 'doable, fair and relatable to students lives', says Megan Friel, Studyclix subject expert and home economics teacher at Mercy College, Sligo. All the short questions were very straightforward with no tricks or curveballs, she said. As was widely predicted, Friel says the theme of sustainability and smart technology appeared in the short questions — a common and relevant topic in both home economics and broader global discussions. 'Section B, Question 11 began with a well-structured fill-in-the-blanks activity, supported by a word bank,' says Friel. 'The question was based on baking a cake — a practical and relatable topic that allowed students to connect theory with their practical cooking class." Question 11, she says, had a strong and well-integrated link to consumer studies, reflecting the recent trend of including one question that draws on content from multiple chapters. 'The task of drawing a bedroom floor plan was practical and relevant, which could allow students to apply the content to their personal living spaces. Plan a two-course dinner menu and provide meal planning also appeared which is highly predictable and frequent question,' she says. 'The inclusion of the Return Deposit Scheme — also seen on some mock papers — was likely a welcome relief for students. The main food commodity was Vegetables which incorporated questions on nutrition, cooking and how consumers can identify fresh vegetables before purchasing." Friel says students would have been familiar with the diagram of the design brief process, and the follow-up question relating to designing an apron was straightforward and commonly seen in past papers. 'Overall, the exam featured very topical and student-friendly questions that were manageable and free of unpleasant surprises — sure to bring a smile to both students and teachers,' says Friel.
Irish Times
04-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert home economics: ‘Practical, topical, no curveballs'
The Leaving Cert higher level home economics paper received a thumbs-up from teachers who sad students will be relieved with an exam which featured plenty of 'nice' questions. Megan Friel, Home Economics teacher at Mercy College, Sligo and Studyclix subject expert, said the paper was 'very practical, topical, student-friendly and contained no curve balls'. Alice Quinn, home economics teacher at The Institute of Education, also said that clear nature of the questions allowed students with a solid grasp of material to get straight to the point. 'The appearance of predicted materials will help offset some of the more niche questions,' she said. READ MORE Ms Friel said section B Q1 – which is compulsory – focused on the impact of food choices and eating habits of adults in Ireland. 'This was very relevant to students and gave them the opportunity to display their in-depth knowledge of the course,' she said. 'The properties didn't appear in Section A which is unusual, but students will be delighted, and the main nutrient on Section B Q1 was lipids. This hasn't been asked since 2018. The core question was also straightforward. Students are very comfortable answering questions about food commodities.' Ms Quinn said students will have been cheered by the 'array of nice, clear short questions to start the paper'. 'There was no ambiguity in what was being asked, more so than previous years, and so students could launch straight into answering,' she said. 'The first question was a nice recall of nutrients: functions of carbohydrates, deficiency diseases – the real fundamentals of the subject,' she said. 'The fish question may have thrown some as many could have overlooked the differences in cold vs hot smoking in their revision, but with other options available they won't have lost momentum.' Students will also have been pleased to see Family Resource Management as the question setter kept with recent trends in papers. 'Even though the questions were comparatively niche, this will have suited most students as the precision of the questions let those with a solid grasp get straight to the point and earn marks,' she said. Over on Section B, she said students were again greeted with a 'nice entry point'. 'The pie chart was a nice way to access the data and the questions offered lots of scope. Students did need to read the question carefully to fully grasp it, but at the core was the baseline elements of that they should be familiar with,' Ms Quinn said. 'Many will be thrilled to see the predicted appearance of lipids and the sometimes tricky question (e) replaced with a familiar take on factors of choice and eating habits of adult.' Question 2 was quite broad and spanned chapter lines but would have made a lot of sense to those who reflected on the interconnected ideas and key words of the syllabus, Ms Quinn said. 'In particular, those who anticipated the return of cheese (not seen since 2017) will be pleased,' she said. She said Q3 was an unexpected aspect of an expected topic – food hygiene – so those who really covered the topic in detail would have been best suited to tackle it. Overall, students familiar with the past papers and the fundamentals of the subject will have been able accrue marks effectively and efficiently. The occasional question on more niche aspects of the course will have surprised some but given others the chance to distinguish themselves. Ms Friel, meanwhile, sad the ordinary level paper included questions that were 'very student-friendly and accessible.' Section B Q1 featured a very user-friendly chart on soup, while students will be relieved that Section B Q2 followed the same format as previous years. 'Overall this was a very fair paper which will likely have brought a smile to the faces of students and teachers alike,' she said.
Irish Independent
04-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Limerick honours one of its own with Mayoral reception for leading NYC St Patrick's Day Parade
The ceremony celebrates Mr Benn's incredible story from proud Limerick roots to his leadership in one of the world's most iconic Irish-American events. The reception is the third of its kind this year, following two sports-related Mayoral Receptions earlier in 2025. Born in Limerick city in 1948 and a former student of CBS Sexton Street, the same school attended by Mayor Moran, Michael Benn emigrated to the United States at age 14. He continued his education in New York and received an accounting degree from Mercy College, paving the way for a diverse career in civic leadership and business management. He also served in the US Army from 1969 to 1972, achieving the rank of sergeant. He served as president and chairman of the Queens County St Patrick's Day Parade in Rockaway Beach, and in March 2025, he led the 264th New York City St Patrick's Day Parade as Grand Marshal. Speaking at the ceremony, Mayor Moran said: 'It's an absolute privilege to have welcomed Michael Benn and his family here to City Hall in the city of his youth, and to be able to recognise everything Michael has done to keep our Irish heritage alive and thriving in his new home of New York. His journey has been nothing short of incredible. Limerick is lucky to call him one of our own!' Mr Benn added: 'This city, and Ireland as a whole, will always be home, no matter where life takes me and my family. The journey has been incredible, but the heart of it all has always been community. I'm beyond grateful for this recognition and excited for all that's ahead!'
