June 25, 2025
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
T.J. Siderio, 12, was fatally shot by former Philadelphia police officer Edsaul Mendoza in March 2022. Siderio's family sued Mendoza and the city, which agreed to a $3 million settlement to resolve the case.
The city of Philadelphia has agreed to pay $3 million to the family of a 12-year-old boy who was fatally shot by an undercover police officer three years ago in South Philadelphia.
An estate administrator for the family of T.J. Siderio — the youngest person ever killed by a police officer in Philadelphia — confirmed a settlement had been reached in the family's lawsuit against the city. The suit sought compensation for emotional and economic suffering.
The city declined to comment on the settlement.
Siderio was a seventh grade student at George Sharswood Elementary School when he was killed by the plainclothes officer near 18th and Barbera streets on March 1, 2022.
The shooting stemmed from a police investigation of a social media report that an armed teen was in the area. Former Philadelphia police officer Edsaul Mendoza was one of five officers who were sitting in an unmarked car with tinted windows when Siderio and another boy rode past them on their bikes.
When police turned on the car's lights, Siderio pulled out a gun and fired shots into a rear window, causing glass to shatter into the eyes of the officers, authorities said. Mendoza and another officer got out of the car and chased after Siderio, who ran toward Moyamensing Street. Both officers fired at Siderio, including two initial shots from Mendoza.
Siderio dropped his weapon and got face down on the ground after Mendoza ordered him to surrender. The boy was on the ground for several seconds before Mendoza fired a deadly shot at him from about half a car length away, a grand jury investigation found. Siderio's weapon was found more than 40 feet from where he was killed, and investigators determined Mendoza knew the boy was unarmed because he had told another officer where to find the discarded weapon.
Mendoza, 30, was fired weeks after the shooting for failing to follow protocols for the use of deadly force. The five-year veteran of the police department pleaded guilty last April to charges of third-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime. He was sentenced to spend between eight and 20 years in prison.
Siderio's family filed suit against the city and Mendoza in January 2024. The settlement clears the city and the officer of future liability for any additional damages. The family was represented by the Center City law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky.
"This is a tragic case that never should have happened," said Micheal Budner, a partner for the law firm. "This resolution provides some measure of justice to the family of T.J. Siderio for their devastating loss."
