Middletown students hold private vigil for classmates and teachers killed in Vermont plane crash – NBC Connecticut

“With them gone, I don’t know who will fill that void,” said Angel Benitez, a sophomore at Middletown High School.

On Tuesday, Middletown High School students held a private vigil at the Russell Library in Middletown, sharing memories of their classmate Delilah Van Ness and their teacher Paul Pelletier.

“I can't believe it. You can make plans, but it's out of our hands,” said Luis Revilla, who worked at the Middletown Aerospace Program.

Pelletier and Van Ness were among four people killed in a plane crash in Vermont on Sunday.

“When I first saw the news, I couldn’t believe it and just blocked it out,” said Neriyah Norfleet, a sophomore at Middletown High School.

Also on board the plane were Delilah's mother Susan and fellow pilot Frank Rodriguez. Officials said they flew to Vermont on a private plane on Sunday but did not return.

The wreckage was discovered early Monday morning near Basin Harbor Airport in Vermont.

“She was such a kind person. She had many friends who loved and cared for her, her mother and Mr. Pelletier,” Norfleet said.

With Rodriguez's help, Pelletier was instrumental in building the aerospace program at Middletown, where he taught students like Delilah about aviation, from airplanes to drones.

“He truly believed in each of us and enabled all of us to pursue this dream of aerospace,” Benitez said.

It is a dream that takes on even more meaning now as the community continues to process the loss.

“It's definitely going to be tough, but life goes on. We can support each other and that's really all we can count on right now,” Norfleet said.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash together with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The NTSB said Tuesday that the pilot was a man and that it expects a preliminary report within 30 days.