STEPHEN KRUEGER
STEPHEN KRUEGER
FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS
It was business as usual on the night of February 23, 2004 in the L.A. Fitness Health Club in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. Someone had to be aware that something was going to happen and that something was going to change the lives of Stephen Krueger and the family who loved him.
His dad, Jon, saw him at 8 o’clock that night and asked him to work out, Stephen answered he was tired and had worked 12 hours and was looking forward to going home to shower and pick up his girlfriend at mid-night. Stephen was dead by mid-night as a result of a GHB overdose. He never came home for that shower nor did he ever pick his girlfriend up that night. That was the last time Jon ever saw Stephen alive. A memory he will never forget.
We are still unclear as to all the circumstances surrounding Stephen’s death. He never would have left his car at the health club and yet the police found it there.
It is still hard for me to believe that I am sitting here writing Stephen’s story. I have to pretend he is just away. That he will be coming through the door any time now.
Stephen was just coming into finding himself and liking what he did for a living. He was taking a semester off of school because he was doing so well at the Health Club as a sales person selling memberships. At first he was just working at the club to get extra money while he was taking courses. The people at the gym just loved him and called him the boy wonder he was doing so well in sales. They were considering him for a managerial position one that would never come to be. He was very well liked.
How it came to be that GHB was found in his Gatorade bottle is still a mystery one we would all like to know and understand.
We do know, Stephen was taken from the gym, by a former LA Fitness employee, Dennis Schwindeman. Dennis drove
right past the local hospital and deposited Stephen at Dennis' mothers house where Stephen was left alone. Stephen was in distress and went into a coma and no one called 911 or got him any help. We were told Dennis went back to the gym and picked up a girl
and went out to eat. We were also told that both of them returned to the
house at least on one occasion to check on Stephen but neither one offered to help or save Stephen's life. They both knew Stephen was in
distress and only when Stephen was completely unresponsive did Dennis drive Stephen to the hospital and leave him there alone. If Stephen had been taken to the hospital early enough, he could have been saved.
We received that phone call that no parent ever wants to get at one o’clock in the morning.
To date, Dennis has never contacted us to give us any details as to the events of what happened that evening.
We have many unanswered questions. We need and want to know what happened. The police have not given up and neither will we. I have been sitting on my hands and it has been very difficult not being able to do anything or find out what happened. I am not going to sit on my hands any longer.
If any one out there has any knowledge or can shed some light into Stephen’s death, please contact the Falls Township Police Department – Detective’s John Martin and Nelson Whitney. 215 – 949-9117
Stephen’s Family
Tobi, Jon, Heather, Dan, Gretchen
Mya and Michael
Rachel Wolak and Robin Stintsman
His two best friends and soul mate.
The people who miss him with all our hearts
