Is Santa a fraud? Santa accused of lying about terminal child dying in his arms

'Who needs a rescue here? Me or them?'

Eric Schmitt-Matzen, a 60-year-old Santa Claus impersonator, broke hearts around the world when he reported a 5-year-old boy died in his arms - but was the entire story just a publicity stunt?

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Schmitt-Matzen claimed he was called at the last minute to remain at the dying boy's bedside - a request he was more than willing to accept.

"I met the parents and relatives down the hall," he shared. "I said, 'If anybody feels like they're going to lose it, please wait in the hall because I've got to be happy and jovial.

"If anybody starts to cry, please do run out the hallway because I can't do my job."

The family was unable to promise they could pretend to be happy, so Schmitt-Matzen entered the ICU alone.

He recalled how frail the child appeared and how happy the boy was when he claimed the child was Santa's "Number One elf!"

After receiving Santa's present, the weakened boy struggled to tear off the colorful paper wrapping. "Santa" stood, smiling encouragement as the young child looked up and stated, "They say I'm gonna die. ...How can I tell where I'm going?"

Holding back the tears threatening to spill from his rosy cheeks, Schmitt-Matzen responded, "When you get to them Pearly Gates, you tell 'em you're Santa's Number One elf, and I know they'll let you in."

The child asked, "They will?" To which Santa replied, "Sure!"

As the boy attempted to sit up, he asked, "Santa, can you help me?"

Schmitt-Matzen said: "I wrapped my arms around him. Before I could say anything, he died right there. I let him stay, just kept hugging at holding on to him."

The story immediately went viral but was met with harsh criticism when Schmitt-Matzen's accounting was unable to be verified.

When no family stepped forward to corroborate his story, more and more news organizations added editor's notes explaining there remains no evidence to confirm Schmitt-Matzen's version of events.

When asked to verify specific details of the story, Schmitt-Matzen simply responded he would remain silent as to protect the identities of the boy and his grieving family.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Schmitt-Matzen's wife, Sharon, claimed the event occurred in mid-October.

Despite the time difference, Sharon insists: "I know how he reacted that next morning, and this is something that weighed so heavy on him. I just know that he just needed time by himself to accept what happened because he obviously wasn't prepared for a child to die in his arms."

The Schmitt-Matzens admitted one form of verification could come from the nurse who called him. In this way, the family would remain anonymous and, at the very least, part of his story can be substantiated.

Sharon hopes the nurse "would, at least, step forward and say, 'Yes, I did call Eric and I can verify that he came" but Schmitt-Matzen believes the nurse may be concerned for her job.

Hospitals do not allow visitors other than family to enter an ICU without prior hospital approval.

"If she were to be fired for what she did out of the love of that child, then the hospital administrators and HR, they need to take a second look at their policies, Shared stated. "I really don't think that she should be fired."

Schmitt-Matzen added, "Believe me, if there's anybody in the world who would like to see her come out, it's me. ...If the family wants to come out and say who they were, I'll stand beside them. I'll support them in any way I can, but the way my life's been upset in the last three days, four days, don't do it.

"You have enough problems. Your family will be tore [sic] apart more than it is now. But, from a selfish point of view, they'd be coming to my rescue. But who  needs rescue here? Me or them?"

One of Schmitt-Matzen's friends, Daniel Cunningham, was interviewed following criticisms and he shared the story as Schmitt-Matzen told him: "You kind of said that (the boy) gave you a hug, then he just went limp at that point, and then you said that you looked up at the ceiling, kinda was fighting back the tears at that point.

"You were noticeably shaken in your voice about this whole ordeal."

Schmitt-Matzen has time-stamped messages in his phone to help support his story but many still don't accept his retelling as truth.

Regardless of whether the world believes him, Schmitt-Matzen refuses to change his story. The events that transpired that night shook his world, nearly leading to his retirement from the Santa Claus business, and left him emotionally spent.

No matter what people say of him, "Santa" stands by his story and refuses to give out the family's name without their express permission.

To his critics, Schmitt-Matzen simply stated: "If I talk now, Santa folded. And I ain't doing it. I'm not doing it."

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