Second Arlington student, Dillon Colon, dies from fatal crash

The Arlington High School community lost a “warm young man who was easygoing, and got along with everybody” when senior Dillon F. Colon died Monday from injuries he sustained during a fatal rollover crash last month, Principal Paul Fanuele said.

Colon, 17, was driving in the area of Todd Hill Road in LaGrange when the one-car crash occurred Wednesday, May 31.  

A passenger in the car, fellow Arlington senior Ryan J. Mucci, 17, died June 1 from injuries he sustained in the crash.

READ: Arlington mourns loss of senior killed in crash 

TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH: Arlington baseball plays for grieving community

Both teens were from LaGrange.

Colon was “the rock of his family” despite being the youngest of three children, Fanuele said, and was “always looking out for other people.”

The last day of classes at Arlington High School was Monday. The district found out about Colon’s death Tuesday afternoon, Fanuele said. An announcement was posted on the district’s website, along with information about how to deal with tragedy and grief.

“We still have counselors here, and they are available for anyone to speak with them,” Fanuele said, adding that as students come in to take final exams, the atmosphere is “subdued.”

“It’s really been subdued ever since the first report of the accident,” he said.  

A state police investigation showed the pair was traveling westbound in a Chevy Malibu around 2:30 p.m. when the car left the northern shoulder of the road and struck a tree. Both teens were transported to MidHudson Regional Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The cause of the rollover remains under investigation as state police work on reconstructing the crash, said Trooper Melissa McMorris, state police spokeswoman for Troop K. Speed is believed to be a contributing factor. 

Nicole Wrona, a former family babysitter from Pleasant Valley, said Colon shared an “unbreakable bond” with his siblings and was like “glue to his family.” She also said he had a sense of humor that could “get a whole room laughing.”

On Wednesday, the 24-year-old recalled the time she thought she had lost Colon in the backyard when he was 8, only to find him inside on the couch eating donuts.

“Dillon,” she said, “was a ray of light to everyone whose path he crossed.”

Kyle Fowx, who was a couple years ahead of Colon in the Arlington district, said he initially befriended Colon's older brother but became close with both of them. Above all else, he said he remembers Colon as a “comedian,” making funny faces and cracking jokes to cheer people up.

“He was always a good kid,” said Fowx, a 20-year-old Pleasant Valley resident. “He was just trying to brighten everyone’s day.”

The crash happened on the one year anniversary of another Arlington tragedy. Daniel Dangerfield, an 18-year-old Arlington High School senior, died in a car accident on May 31, 2016.

Fanuele said the school has an assembly program that takes place throughout the year, including around prom, "that touches on decision making, proper decisions when driving, and what happens when you don’t make proper decisions when driving." 

“Arlington is a resilient community," Fanuele said. "We’re going to continue to work together and handle whatever comes our way." 

Abbott Brant: abrant@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4809, Twitter: @AbbottBrantPoJo. Journal reporter Jack Howland contributed to this report.