NEW YORK CITY — An FDNY firefighter and Education Department worker's infant daughter died from novel coronavirus complications this week, according to officials and family. She was days shy of her 5-month birthday.

Jay-Natalie La Santa, the daughter of firefighter Jerel La Santa and Lindsey Velasquez, died Monday morning, the FDNY Hispanic Society announced Thursday.

"One of the worst experiences as a parent is to go through the loss of a child," President Jose Prosper wrote on Instagram. "It is with extreme sorrow to announce the passing of Jay-Natalie La Santa."

Jay-Natalie fell ill almost a month ago and was eventually hospitalized at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in The Bronx, her aunt Danielle Monique La Santa told Patch. To keep up to date with coronavirus developments in NYC, sign up for Patch's news alerts and newsletter.



"She was treated like an absolute princess," the grieving aunt wrote in an email. "The nurses helped to facilitate a baptism for their little angel and completely decorated her isolated room for this event." The little girl died Monday, one week before her five-month birthday, the aunt said.

Jerel La Santa was a recent graduate of the academy and has been "received by his fire station with open arms," Danielle told Patch. Lindsey La Santa works for New York City's Education Department and continued to work remotely even as her daughter was hospitalized.

The infant loved bath time, car rides and being sung to, being kissed and hugged and rocked to sleep, Danielle wrote on her GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $30,000 as of Thursday.