A recent MVRHS graduate and Maine Maritime Academy student from Aquinnah died in a car crash early Saturday morning in Castine, Maine that killed four college students and left three others injured.
Riley Ignacio-Cameron, 20, of Aquinnah died in the crash, according to the Maine State Police.
Mr. Ignacio-Cameron graduated from MVHRS in 2020 and previously attended the Martha’s Vineyard Charter School through eighth grade, administrators at the high school and charter school confirmed Sunday morning.
“We are all devastated by this news and our deepest condolences go out to his loving family,” high school assistant principal Jeremy Light said.
The crash occurred at approximately 2:07 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10 in Castine, Maine, when a 2013 Range Rover operated by Joshua Goncalves-Radding, 20, of North Babylon, N.Y. left the road and hit a tree, “erupting in flames,” according to the Maine State Police.
Four passengers, including Mr. Ignacio-Cameron, Brian Kenealy, 20, of York, Maine, Chase Fossett, 21, of Gardiner, Maine and Luke Simpson, 22 of Rockport were pronounced dead at the scene, Maine state police said. Three others, including the driver, Mr. Goncalves-Radding, Noelle Tavares, 20, of North Falmouth and Dominick Gecoya, 20 of Middleton, were transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to Maine state police.
The Maine state police said in a press release that a full investigation of the crash remains ongoing.
All seven students in the vehicle attended Maine Maritime Academy — an approximately 950-student public, coeducational maritime school located in the coastal town of Castine, Maine, where the crash occurred. According to its website, the school includes hands-on sea training for mariners, engineers, scientists and logistics professionals, among other things.
In a statement provided to the Gazette, Maine Maritime Academy president Bill Full said that the school would be holding a vigil Sunday evening in honor of the students who died.
“The MMA Alumni Association would like to express our sincere condolences to the families, friends, and classmates of all those involved,” Mr. Full wrote. “At this very difficult time we must all lean on each other.”
Mr. Ignacio-Cameron was a sophomore, majoring in vessel and operations technology, according to a statement from the school.
On Sunday, Island school administrators who knew Mr. Ignacio-Cameron expressed devastation and heartbreak at the news, saying he was a beloved friend and student at both the charter school and high school.
Mr. Light said he he knew Mr. Ignacio-Cameron when he worked at the charter school, and remembered him for his kindness, and his love of basketball and fishing.
Charter school Pete Steedman said in a phone call that although he did not know Riley, the news of his death had already reverberated through the tight-knit charter school community, where teachers and advisers worked with him from kindergarten through eighth grade.
“I didn’t know Riley, but a lot of people did,” Mr. Steedman said. “He was a beloved member of our community. And speaking with people, he just brought so much joy and happiness to the charter school.”
A small school focused on project-based learning and interdependence, the Charter School offers students the opportunity to make a broad impact on teachers and classmates, Mr, Steedman said, particularly for students like Mr. Ignacio-Cameron, who attended for nine years.
“As some teachers have reached out…he was a great friend to so many people,” Mr. Steedman said.
Both Mr. Steadman and Mr. Light said Sunday that school counselors would be available for students and other community members, particularly as college winter breaks approached.
“We will have all of our adjustment counselors available for any students that need to process this tragic event,” Mr. Light said. “We also know that the class of 2020 will be coming home soon for the holidays. Our counselors will be available to them should they need someone to talk to or process the situation.”
