New York State Parks aide killed in wildfire remembered during emotional funeral
HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. -- A funeral for the 18-year-old New York State Parks aide who died fighting the Jennings Creek wildfire was held Monday.
Dariel Vasquez was killed by a falling tree in the early days of the fire in Sterling Forest State Park near Greenwood Lake.
The Jennings Creek wildfire has now been burning for 11 days. Some Orange County residents were asked to voluntarily evacuate their homes after the fire jumped a containment line Saturday.
Governor orders flags at half-staff
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday ordered flags at state buildings to be flown at half-staff to honor Vasquez.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Vasquez family as they mourn the sudden and tragic loss of Dariel," Hochul said in a statement. "Dariel was only 18 years old and had a truly bright future ahead of him that has now been unfairly taken away. I commend his dedication to serving and protecting his fellow New Yorkers and his bravery on the front lines."
At the funeral held at St. Peter & St. Mary's Church in Haverstraw, Vazquez's family said they remembered his quick-wit and infectious laughter.
"He definitely was the kind of kid if you needed help he was going to say yes. He wasn't going to hesitate at any given time. We spoke to a couple of his co-workers that were there and had just dealt with him at work. They always said he was the person that they counted on. He was the person they wanted on their team," Erika De Jesus, Vasquez's aunt, said.
"It was tough because we grew up together, we had that bond, we had plans for the future. He's not here anymore," added Anthony Vasquez, his cousin.
"He was too young. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. He was so happy to volunteer. He even texted his mom and dad that morning, 'I'll let you know if I don't have service,'" cousin Melanie Aquino said.
Dariel Vasquez had planned to attend SUNY Buffalo in 2025 and become an electrician.
"When I think about Dariel, we're a big baseball family, Dominicans, I played softball he played baseball. We just bonded over that," cousin Mia Valverde said.
Emotional wake held over the weekend
At a wake over the weekend, family and friends gathered at T.J. McGowen Funeral Home in Garnerville to remember Vasquez, a graduate of Ramapo High School and captain of the school's baseball team.
"You wouldn't think that something like this would happen to your friend. You think that you're teenagers and nothing can happen to you until something does," one of his classmates said.
"He just got this job in May and his dad said he was so ecstatic and so excited for it. This is awful. I'm a mom of two boys. It's terrible," said Christine Bongiovanni, who knew Vasquez since he was 2 years old.