'Santa Claus' Who Held Terminally Ill Boy as He Died Fights Tears While Recalling Heartbreaking Moment
Eric Schmitt-Matzen says the story is about a boy and his concern about missing Christmas.
The Santa Claus who reportedly held a terminally ill 5-year-old who passed away in his arms has faced a slew of skeptics.
Read: Terminally Ill 5-Year-Old Dies in Santa Claus' Arms: I Was 'Bawling My Head Off'
Eric Schmitt-Matzen has been a professional Santa for the past six years. After his story of him holding he dying child went viral, [some] have accused the man of making it up a claim he denies.
“I didn't come looking for this. People came to me. I don't even know the family's name. I knew the boy's first name — that was it,” he told Inside Edition. “I think we're losing track of what the story is about. It's the love of a boy and his concern about missing Christmas. And that's all there is to it. I’m not going to identify where it happened, exactly when, what hospital. I'm protective as much as I can of those people's identity.”
No one knows the name of the child, when he passed or the location of the hospital where it happened.
Read: Family Has Early Christmas for Teen Before Risky Brain Surgery: 'It Was Bittersweet'
The Santa says he left the hospital sobbing and it took him days to recover from the event he says happened "a while ago."
He gets emotional thinking about what happened with the boy and told Inside Edition he is “not looking for praise.”
Watch: 6-Year-Old Girl Dies of Cancer Days After Becoming Honorary Police Officer
Trending on Inside Edition

Kid Killer Lori Vallow Looks Carefree During Murder Booking After a 'Very Chatty' 18-Hour Drive, Says Sheriff
Crime
Why Do More People Seem to Be Getting Sick This Flu Season?
Health
Tips for Leaving Creepy Crawlies at the Christmas Tree Farm
Offbeat
Alex Murdaugh Sentenced to 27 Years in Plea Deal After Admitting to 22 Financial Crimes
Crime
A Toy Story: How the Hess Truck Became a Holiday Staple and Conjures Up Childhood Nostalgia for Some
Offbeat