SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Steven Mercarter was known for frequenting the Burger King on Genesee and Geddes streets in Syracuse. As a result, the employees at that Burger King got to know him very well.
“He was a regular,” employee Tami Clark said. “He was here every day.”
Mercarter was killed by an oncoming train in September while standing on train tracks right behind Destiny USA. His death shocked the Burger King employees who knew him, who have since created a memorial in his honor. In a fenced-off booth, people have left items such as winter hats, a Bible, and a dreamcatcher in Mercarter’s memory. The employees say they observed the impact Mercarter had on the employees of the Burger King as well as his fellow patrons.
“Everyone in the neighborhood knew Steve,” Clark said.
“Oh, yeah,” employee Crystal Turo chimed in.
“Everybody knew him,” employee Sue Spencer said. “That’s why they keep coming in…you know, it was, ‘is that Steve?’ ‘Yeah, it was Steve.'”
Mercarter’s sister, Nancy Intorcia, lives in Adams Center, New York, and despite infrequent contact between Nancy and her brother, she remembers Mercarter fondly.
“He was a pretty selfless kid,” Intorcia said. “He would give anyone anything…other than his sister and his brother.”
It is clear that life will never be exactly the same for people who knew Mercarter.
