He Went to a Concert and Never Came Home: Father of Two Dies in Devastating Madison Square Garden Incident
The 51-year-old rock fan who fell to his death during a weekend Goose concert at Madison Square Garden was a beloved married dad of two from Connecticut, his weeping mom told The Post on Sunday.
Green-energy exec Paul Kueker fatally plunged 150 feet from the Chase Bridge in the World’s Most Famous Arena while the event was in full swing shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday — the day before Father’s Day — to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife.
Paul Kueker seen with his sister Kricket Kueker Kent in a photo posted to Facebook on July 7, 2020.Facebook/Patti Hoxsie Finelli
Paul Kueker was killed after falling inside Madison Square Garden during a Goose the Band concert on June 20, 2026.Chris Kornfeld via Fox 5 New York
“He was the greatest kid in the whole wide world,” Kueker’s mother, Patricia Finelli, said through tears.
“He’d give you the shirt off his back.
“He has two children, a beautiful wife, and he took care of me like I was a piece of gold.”
The heartbroken mother told the New York Daily News that Keuker went to the concert to celebrate his wedding anniversary with his wife, Kristen.
“He had taken his wife to the Goose concert because their 25th anniversary is on Tuesday,” she told the outlet.
Kueker with his son Garin, daughter Khloe and wife Kristen Lomme Kueker.Facebook/Patti Hoxsie Finelli
Kueker’s wife didn’t see her husband fall, but became worried after he left for the restroom and never returned.
“He got up to go to the bathroom, and he didn’t come back,” Finelli added. “She was getting worried after 10 or 15 minutes. And he didn’t come back.”
Police officers eventually found Kristen in the stadium and told her what had happened, the mother said.
“We are heartbroken by the sudden passing of Paul Kueker,’’ said William Brown, general manager of Smartcon, in a statement.
“Paul meant the world to everyone at Smartcon.
“He was an extraordinary person and a valued member of our team, and the loss is felt deeply across our entire company. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. He will be profoundly missed.”
Kueker was the direction of operations for the energy management company Smartcon Solutions.Patti Finelli
Goose, a Connecticut-based jam band, was booked for a two-night gig at MSG as part of their summer tour and on their second night there when the tragedy struck.
They completed their full 16-song set around midnight Saturday, after the fall.
“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken to learn of the tragic event that occurred at tonight’s show,” the band later said in a statement.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to everyone affected. Thank you to the emergency personnel and venue staff who stepped in with care and support.”
A message from Goose on the death of Kueker at MSG.Instagram/@goosetheband
The band was set to take the stage for a concert in Central Park on Sunday evening.
Saturday’s grim tragedy occurred just days after hometown hoops heroes the Knicks helped cement their NBA Finals win at MSG.
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The famed venue was the site of another fatal tragedy in 2023.
That’s when Ernest Vogliano, 61 — the son of a once-prominent Big Apple restaurateur — died in a freak fall after a Rangers game.
Vogliano was riding an escalator railing in MSG when he plunged two to three floors to his death.