‘I Can’t Breathe’: New Movie Tells Story of Man’s Near Death Experience After Assault by Police

'There is something after this life'

Screenshot from movie, "I Can't Breathe: God Forgive Them," depicting the spirit of Tom Laresca observing what happened after his death, allegedly caused by being repeatedly sprayed in the face with pepper spray by Palm Beach Sergeant David Kalmus until he stopped breathing, in front of his own home in Boca Raton, Fla., on Jan. 7, 1998. Courtesy of Tom Laresca

In 1998, Tom Laresca went for a walk in his neighborhood in Boca Raton, Florida. That walk would alter the course of his life.

He'd gotten into an argument with his father and brother over his decision to report his boss for securities fraud—which resulted in the company folding and Laresca losing his well-paying job—so he went for a walk to cool down.