A 12-year-old sixth-grade boy from New York died earlier this week during a field trip near the Lehigh River in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, according to local officials.
The Carbon County Coroner’s Office said the young boy fell into the Lehigh River in East Penn Township on Wednesday, WCAU-TV reported.
Superintendent Jeff Nichols sent a letter to parents confirming the boy’s identity as Cesar Albarracin Guncay, a sixth-grade student at the Sag Harbor Union Free School District in Long Island.
Nichols said that Guncay was the victim of a rafting accident while on a school-sponsored trip to the Poconos.
Members of the local fire department’s diving team pulled him out of the water, but he was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. that night.
An autopsy was set to be conducted on Thursday to determine the ultimate cause of death.
“There are no words to adequately express the depth of this loss,” Nichols wrote in his letter to the school community. “Cesar was a cherished member of our school family, a child who mattered deeply to all who had the privilege of knowing him.”
“His absence will leave an irreplaceable space in our classrooms, our hallways and our lives,” he added. “Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to Cesar’s family and friends during this very sad time. We will keep them in our thoughts and prayers.”
There was a group of five boaters traveling in an inflatable raft as part of a guided expedition, when suddenly they were capsized and thrown off the vessel, according to The Sag Harbor Express.
After Guncay did not resurface, others began searching for him, but it was already too late. Everyone else who was onboard reportedly made it out safely.
An investigation is being conducted by local police and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, in conjunction with the Carbon County Emergency Management Agency, East Penn Township Fire Department, and Lehighton Fire Department, Bowmanstown Fire Company, Palmerton Ambulance, and Lehighton Ambulance.
“I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the student’s family, the school community, and all those affected by this unimaginable tragedy,” Sag Harbor Village Police Chief Robert Drake said in a statement.
A GoFundMe campaign page was created on Thursday morning to support Guncay’s family during this tragic time.
It already raised over $200,000 of its $350,000 goal as of Friday afternoon. Donations can be made here.
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