Vigil held for 5 teenagers involved in fatal car crash in Suffolk County

WEST BABYLON, NY – The power of prayer and community was felt at a candlelight vigil Sunday for four teenagers fighting for their lives and for the person killed in a car crash in Suffolk County over the weekend.

According to police, 33-year-old Michael Desmond was driving on Railroad Avenue in West Babylon after 1 a.m. Saturday, failed to stop at a red light and then crashed into a car carrying five teenagers on Great East Neck Road.

Desmond and 18-year-old Ryan Goot, a passenger in the hit car, 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,” said neighbor Joselyn Alberto.

Alberto and her husband ran out of their house and immediately called 911.

“I have three children myself and I can’t imagine what these parents are going through,” said Alberto.

Friends speak from the bottom of their hearts at the vigil on Sunday evening

In this moment of darkness, friends and family cling to the light.

Three school communities participated in the vigil Sunday evening. 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 that everyone loved, and not give up on everyone else just because one is lost,” said Goot's sister.

“Everyone here is full of love and joy for each and every one of these children,” said another speaker.

Those present shared special memories of each of the victims.

“Anthony, or 'Pags' as we call him, just… never heard anything bad come out of his mouth. He's just the nicest kid you'll ever meet,” said his friend Nick Harding, a senior at St. Anthony's.

Ryan Quinn, a twelfth-grader at West Babylon High, is friends with siblings Bella and Austin Trezza.

“They're both just amazing people. They both bring joy to your world,” Quinn said.

Relatives left messages in prayer boxes with the teenagers' names and shared an important message with them.

“You just have to love your friends and family. Hug them. Just tell them you love them,” said Andrew Mandelbaum, a 12th-grader at West Babylon High.

The community will continue to rally for those affected. A vigil will be held at St. John The Baptist High on Monday at 7 p.m.