Fatal Group Home Fire Claims Accomplished Special Olympian

 Residents who were able to escape
the fire watch as firefighters
work at the scene.

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — Richard Bouman, the group home resident who died tragically in a fire Wednesday, was an accomplished Special Olympian whose athletic talents enabled him to be a world traveler.
Bouman, 50, traveled to Japan for the 2005 as a floor-hockey player for the Special Olympics World Summer Games and to Shanghai, China, in 2007 as softball player again for the Special Olympics World Summer Games.
“He was a sweet guy, very nice and polite and he loved sports,” said Janet Riley, executive director of North East Westchester Special Recreation, a community based therapeutic recreation agency serving children and adults with developmental disabilities in north east Westchester.