Stoughton Teens Play Big Role In Organizing Memorial Service

STOUGHTON, MA — Friends from Stoughton High School helped organize a memorial service at St. James Church for the four teens who died in an East Bridgewater car crash.

The service was closed to the media. St. James Pastor Joseph Mazzone addressed the press after the service for Chris Desir, Eryck Sarblah, Nick Joyce, and David Bell ended. He described it as "cathartic."

"It's cathartic because you have to name it," Mazzone said. "You have to sort of just put it out there. You have to say, I'm grieving, I'm angry maybe, I'm confused. And when you do that when you share it with other people, it makes it easier."

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According to Mazzone, the students did that by being the ones who organized most of the service's itinerary. He said the children picked all the readings and music.

The video below comes from Mazzone's press conference earlier this evening. He described in more detail how the victims' classmates got involved with organizing the service.

Classmates decided not to comment. Lilia Elkins, a student at Oliver Ames High School in Easton, was at the service passing out black and orange ribbons. She knew Bell from working at the YMCA.

"It was very beautiful, very heart-warming," she said. "There was a young woman who was singing and it brought me to tears."

Mazzone said he believes there was roughly 500 people at the service. Elkins said many of them were brought to tears.

"It's okay to be sad," Elkins said. "It's okay to feel weak and vulnerable at this moment because we just lost four amazing people."

Annabella Cardoza agreed that it's going to take the community some time to heal. Cardoza's son goes to Stoughton High and knew the four boys from running track and playing basketball.

"Healing is going to take a long time, especially for Stoughton," Cardoza said. "Stoughton's community is really close. The kids are really close."

She's said the only thing she can tell her children and the whole community is to come together.

"Come together, be together," Cardoza said. "Support each other as much as you can. Love each other everyday."

Mazzone said the service was an example of the community coming together as a family.

"We gathered here tonight as grieving family," Mazzone said. "Stoughton is many beautiful things and one of the things that it is, is a family. Right now, this family is grieving the loss of four of its sons and one of its sons is in the hospital."

The driver of the vehicle is still in critical condition at the hospital.

Police have not identified him. An investigation into the crash is still ongoing.