Mourners gather on Engles Road to remember four men who lost their lives

by Janel Sullivan | March 30, 2013 6:50 pm

OSWEGO TOWN, NY – The sun gave one of its seemingly rare appearances in Oswego County on Saturday afternoon as friends and family gathered on Engles Road to say goodbye to the four men who lost their lives in a car crash late Monday night.

Memorial balloons honor the four young men who lost their lives earlier this week. A vigil was held at the crash site earlier today (March 30).
Memorial balloons honor the four young men who lost their lives earlier this week. A vigil was held at the crash site earlier today (March 30).

Joseph McCarthy, Joshua Schute, Efrain Rodriguez, and James Stone were traveling at a high rate of speed when their car went off the road, crashed through the trees, and flipped upside down, according to police.

Since the car was cleared out on Tuesday afternoon the site has become a memorial. People have left flowers, gifts and messages for the loved ones they lost.

At 3:30 p.m. Saturday a small crowd had already gathered on Engles Road.

It continued to grow all afternoon.

A large crowd of mourners stands on Engles Road on Saturday.
A large crowd of mourners stands on Engles Road on Saturday.

A steady stream of people walked down the hills on either side of the crash site until the road was packed.

Many mourners wore T-shirts commemorating the young men who lost their lives.

“1 Helluva Father” read the shirt for Schute along with a picture of him with his children.

The shirt honoring Rodriguez read “Fly High My Angel.”

A special tribute to one of the four men can be seen on the rear window of this vehicle at Saturday's vigil
A special tribute to one of the four men can be seen on the rear window of this vehicle at Saturday’s vigil

“Family you love no matter what, all the time” one onlooker said.

The crowd was a mix of laughter and tears as people fondly shared memories and mourned the tragic accident.

Friday, a cross was hung high on the tree the car landed near so the memorial can be seen from the road.

A cross high in a tree ensures the site is visible from the roadway.
A cross high in a tree ensures the site is visible from the roadway.

Candles were handed out amongst the crowd for the vigil, and one man volunteered to read a passage from the Bible.

Some relatives climbed down the embankment to send four candles down the creek.

“I don’t know what to say,” McCarthy’s cousin said as she and her friends took in the crowd.

But she smiled when thinking of her favorite memory of her cousin. “When you’re depressed he’d help you. He’d be there to tell you to cheer up and help you. He was just a happy guy,” she said.

 

Two women hold a poster honoring the memory of the four young men.
Two women hold a poster honoring the memory of the four young men.
Dozens of family and friends visited the crash site to pay their respects Saturday afternoon
Dozens of family and friends visited the crash site to pay their respects Saturday afternoon

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