ZOO NIGHTMARE: The Central Park tree whose limb cracked off — and the fallen branch itself, 25 feet below — are both visible in the aftermath of yesterday’s tragedy that left 6-month-old Gianna Ricciutti dead. (catherine nance)
A 6-month-old New Jersey girl was killed and her mom badly injured yesterday when a tree branch fell on them as they posed for a photo at the Central Park Zoo.
Gianna Ricciutti died in the horrifying accident that played out before helpless relatives and dozens of zoo-goers at around 1:40 p.m. by the Delacorte Clock near East 63rd Street.
The tragedy occurred as dad Mike Ricciutti, 41, of Union City, was taking a picture of his wife, Karla, and daughter.
VIDEO: BRANCH KILLS BABY AT CENTRAL PARK ZOO
“The entire family is in a state of shock and they can’t stop crying,” heartbroken relative Suzanne Fastow told The Post.
She said that Karla “is a very loving mother and she idolizes that child. She would never put her in harm’s way. They are a very close-knit family.”
Witnesses heard a creaking sound, “and then somebody screams and the tree branch falls,” a police source said.
“The mom was holding the baby,” the source said. “The dad was taking a picture when the branch fell and hit them.”
Philipp Rams, an intensive care nurse visiting from Essen, Germany, said he heard “a big noise,” turned around and saw Karla on the ground.
“I ran over and began CPR on the baby,” said Rams.
“At first we felt a pulse, but then it stopped while we were doing the chest compressions,” the nurse said. “I see this all the time. But it’s different with a baby.”
Another witness, Perry Herson, 40, said “we heard a large thump and turned around and saw a large branch had fallen on a woman.
“There wasn’t any wind — it’s a beautiful day. It was very freaky,” the Roslyn, LI, resident said.
His wife, Michelle, 30, said the baby girl “fell out of the mother’s arms.”
“The mother was covered in blood,” she said. “The baby wasn’t moving or crying. It happened in an instant.”
Another source said the limb — about 18 inches in diameter and 4 feet long — fell from a height of about 25 feet onto the 33-year-old mom.
“We don’t know if the impact of the branch or the impact of the [baby’s] fall” caused the infant’s head injury, that source said.
Gianna, the second person killed by falling tree limbs this year in the park, died at New York Hospital. Her mom was in stable condition with head trauma.
Fastow said the mom was in surgery last night, but didn’t know the details as distraught relatives gathered at the hospital.
Karla’s family was headed to New York from Maryland after hearing the tragic news.
A Central Park source estimated that the tree was between 30 and 50 years old.
It wasn’t clear last night which agency is responsible for maintaining the trees in the zoo, a source said.
The Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoo, said it “sends our sincerest condolences to the individuals involved in today’s accident,” but declined to say more.
The Central Park Conservancy maintains trees in Central Park and said, “the conservancy’s thoughts are with the family and we regret that we cannot comment as the investigation proceeds.”
Danger from above
Previous tree injuries:
* May 31: Two women at picnic near Boathouse hurt by falling branch. Treated for minor injuries.
* Feb. 25: Snow-laden limb from decaying American elm on Literary Walk falls and kills Albanian immigrant Elmaz Qyra, 46. Lawsuit charges that tree had been marked as dangerous, but not removed.
* July 29, 2009: Rotted tree limb near West 64th Street hits Google engineer Sasha Blair-Goldensohn, 33, causing brain and spinal injuries. Blair-Goldensohn sues for $120M.
Additional reporting by John Doyle, Larry Celona and Amber Sutherland