Vigil held for 5 teens involved in deadly West Babylon crash
WEST BABYLON, N.Y. -- The power of prayer and community was palpable at a candlelight vigil Sunday for four teenagers who are fighting for their lives and one who died in a car crash in Suffolk County over the weekend.
Police say 33-year-old Michael Desmond was traveling on Railroad Avenue in West Babylon after 1 a.m. on Saturday and failed to stop at a red light before crashing into a car on Great East Neck Road carrying five teenagers.
Desmond and 18-year-old Ryan Goot, a passenger in the car that was struck, did not survive.
Bella Trezza, 17, and her 18-year-old brother, Austin Trezza, 18-year-old Jack Murphy, and 16-year-old Anthony Pagliuca remain hospitalized.
"I heard something that sounded almost like an explosion," neighbor Joselyn Alberto said.
Alberto and her husband ran out of their home and immediately called 911.
"I have three kids, myself, so I can't imagine what those parents are going through," Alberto said.
Friends speak from the heart at Sunday night vigil
In this moment of darkness, friends and family are clenching onto the light.
Sunday night's vigil brought together three school communities. The injured students attend or attended West Babylon High School, St. Anthony's High School and St. John The Baptist High School.
"I just want everyone to keep saying 'Goot,' his nickname everyone loved, to not give up on everyone else just because one was lost," Goot's sister said.
"Everyone here is filled with love and joy for every single one of those kids," another speaker said.
Those who gathered shared special memories of each of the victims.
"Anthony, or 'Pags' as we call him, he's just ... never heard a bad thing come out of his mouth. He's just the nicest kid you'll ever meet," said friend Nick Harding, a senior at St. Anthony's.
Ryan Quinn, a senior at West Babylon High, is friends with siblings Bella and Austin Trezza.
"Both of them are just amazing people. They both bring joy to your world," Quinn said.
Loved ones left messages in prayer boxes bearing the teens' names, and shared an important one.
"You just gotta love your friends and family. Give them a hug. Just tell them you love them," West Babylon High senior Andrew Mandelbaum said.
The community will continue to gather for those affected. A prayer vigil will be held at St. John The Baptist High on Monday at 7 p.m.