Who was Dariel Vasquez? 2024 Ramapo High Grad, NY State Parks Help

by Junna Base November 13, 2024

Dariel Vasquez, a parks and recreation consultant for the New York State Parks Department, was just 18 years old when he died battling a wildfire in Greenwood Lake on Saturday.

Friends, family and community members gathered at noon Monday at the baseball field at Ramapo High School, where Vasquez was a star player.

According to the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department, Vasquez was killed by a fallen tree on November 9 while volunteering with the Wildland Fire Crew to fight a wildfire in the Sterling Forest. New York State Police said they were investigating the Pomona man’s death.

Miosotis Vasquez was accompanied to home plate at the Ramapo baseball field by her family and members of Lakeside Fire Rescue, the department her son volunteered for. Mourners placed their unlit candles on the field next to No. 7, the number on his jersey, written in the dirt.

After praying the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish and counting to seven, balloons of orange, green and white fluttered in the wind as the family released them to honor the memory of their son, brother and cousin.

Members of the Ramapo High baseball team gathered to tell Vasquez’s family how much he meant to them: “Dariel has always supported me and helped me since I first met him,” one of his teammates said. “I thank God that he came into my life.” “I wish I could have another conversation with him. Every time I saw him he was doing something to make his life better,” said another teammate. “He was like a brother to me. His family always welcomed me with open arms.

At the end of their tear-filled speeches, members of the baseball team gathered around Vasquez’s parents, holding them together in their grief and love for Dariel.

Employees of the Garnerville Shop Rite where he worked, members of the NYS Fire Department who assisted Vasquez in fighting the Jennings Creek fire, and local officials were also present at the vigil and also spoke to the family about their gratitude, to know her son.

Teddy Goldstein, Vasquez’s former boss at Shop Rite, said he was simply “authentic.”

“He always wanted to help wherever he could. There’s nothing wrong with Dariel,” Goldstein said, holding back tears. “His personality couldn’t be hidden. Always real.”

Who was Dariel Vasquez?

Vasquez, employed by the State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Department, is a 2024 graduate of Ramapo High School. He was captain of the varsity baseball team, where he played for four years and was named a Rockland County Senior Male Athlete in the spring of 2024.

“At Ramapo High School, Dariel was a dedicated student and a gifted athlete – a leader among his classmates and teammates,” East Ramapo Central School District Superintendent Anthony DiCarlo said in a statement. “We extend our thoughts and condolences to Dariel’s family during this difficult time.”

As of Monday morning, Vasquez’s family had raised more than $51,000 through GoFundMe to cover funeral costs.

“He was a leader among his peers and inspired others with his compassion, perseverance and respect for all,” they wrote in the post. “He had big dreams for the future and planned to begin college next January, a journey he embarked on with the same dedication he brought to every role in his life.”

After extended periods of dry, windy weather, multiple wildfires occurred throughout the Lower Hudson Valley.

At least three wildfires have hit the area in the past three weeks, including the ongoing Jennings Creek Fire in Sterling Forest, which has grown to nearly 3,000 acres as of Monday morning and still has not been contained.

“In the 50-plus years I have lived here, this was the most significant and probably potentially dangerous situation I have ever seen or been involved in,” Greenwood Lake Mayor Tom Howley said at Monday afternoon’s news conference .

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of (Vasquez), who tragically lost his life protecting our community on Saturday,” Howley said. “Our flags will fly at half-mast in his honor.”

(This story has been updated to add new information, photos and videos.)

Michael P. McKinney contributed to this story.

Watch 58-year-old Mike Tyson pedal before his fight against Jake Paul

Gilead raises its 2024 outlook and expects new drug submissions by the end of the year

Biden is trying to reassure dejected Democrats by promising a smooth transfer of power to Trump