'A Great Kid You Could Count
On'
Croton mourns teen lacrosse star
killed in crash as police probe alcohol link
by Adam Stone
and Danny Lopriore
Photos by Adam Stone
and Rick Pezzullo
You could count on Christopher McDonough for a laugh.
You could count on Christopher McDonough for a winning goal.
You could just plain count on Christopher McDonough.
That was the consensus among friends, neighbors and educators interviewed
Tuesday afternoon about the 17-year-old Croton-Harmon High School
lacrosse star who died early Monday morning in a fatal car crash that
authorities believe was caused by alcohol and excessive speed.
"He would always score in the last minute," said 16-year-old
Kevin Vail, an incoming sophomore and lacrosse teammate of McDonough's
strolling Croton's downtown Tuesday afternoon.
Cradling a lacrosse stick next to Vail on a trip to a local deli was
Phil Livecchi, a 15-year-old about to enter his junior year at Croton-Harmon.
"He could make me believe anything, convince you of the most
bizarre things," Livecchi, another teammate, said of McDonough's
well-known dry wit, a trademark quality highlighted by those who knew
him best.
"The whole community is just shocked that he's gone," added
Livecchi, who said McDonough, about to enter senior year, was the
Tigers leading scorer last season with about 30 goals and 10 assists.
"He was just a great kid who could make anyone laugh," concluded
Livecchi, who saw his buddy just two weeks ago at a pick-up lacrosse
game at Croton's Manes Field on Alexander Lane.
Laughter was largely absent Tuesday in the small 7,600-resident village
where the community is reeling from its first car accident fatality
for a high school student in recent memory.
Alcohol suspected
State Police said McDonough, driving southbound on Route 9 with two
2006 Croton-Harmon graduates in a 2001 Volvo Monday, lost control
of the car at roughly 3:30 a.m. The passengers, Dylan Franco, 17,
and Matthew Stanton, 18, were reportedly wearing their seat belts
and suffered minor injuries. One was treated at Westchester Medical
Center, the other at Phelps Memorial Hospital Center in Sleepy Hollow.
The car hit the center median and rolled into the oncoming lanes going
northbound. McDonough was not wearing his seat belt and was ejected
from the vehicle, according to police reports.
McDonough was taken to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where
he died.
Police said the crash was likely alcohol related. The toxicology report
is pending, but responding troopers detected a strong odor of alcohol
at the crash scene.
State Police Investigator David Atkins said the investigation of the
accident was ongoing and that his office was seeking information on
where McDonough, Franco and Stanton may have obtained alcohol.
"When there is a possibility of alcohol as a factor in an accident
we investigate where it may have come from," Atkins said. "An
autopsy is performed to determine the blood alcohol of the driver,
so we're awaiting those results also."
Community grieves
At the high school Tuesday, students filed in to speak with grief
counselors, including friends of McDonough's twin sister, Megan.
"I can't even imagine that," said Ray Cataldo, a June graduate
and close friend of Megan's who was also fond of Christopher.
"He was just very friendly," added Cataldo, saying the loss
of a twin must be "double" bad.
Jennifer Donnelly, another somber recent graduate who joined Cataldo
on a walk Tuesday to Croton's Blue Pig ice cream parlor, said, "I
always heard good things about him."
Carolyn Klingner more than heard good things.
Her young neighbor's lacrosse stick hurls would sometimes produce
loose balls in her adjacent yard.
"But he would come through and be very respectful," said
a tearful Klingner, a senior citizen who estimated that the McDonoughs
moved to 26 Olcott Avenue, next door to her home, 10 years ago from
another community.
"And she was a very nice neighbor," Klingner added of the
teen's mother, Michele, whom she said also has a 21-year-old son,
David.
"I watched them grow up," she then relayed from her doorstep.
Klingner also recalled a sweet moment shared with Christopher earlier
this year-she had clipped an article from a local weekly paper that
spoke of his most recent lacrosse achievements.
"All three children were always respectful and friendly and polite,"
continued Klingner.
A family friend answering the door at the McDonough household told
a reporter the family is not yet ready to speak with the press.
"He was a great, responsible kid," said Christopher's pediatrician,
Larry Baskind, walking toward the McDonough household. "He was
an easy kid to talk to, honest with a lot of potential. I have teenagers.
It hits home."
Across the street, Holly Stagliano began to weep as she clutched one
of her own kids.
"As a mother I wish I could change something, but I can't,"
lamented Stagliano, her lips trembling as she thought about her own
children, six-year-old Nicholas and three-year-old Chloe. "It's
devastating."
When Chloe was born, Michele advised her neighbor to remember every
precious moment.
"Michele said, 'Enjoy it, it goes so fast,'" recalled Stagliano,
who used Megan McDonough sporadically as a babysitter, as recently
as seven months ago.
"A charming young lady and very, very bright," said Stagliano,
adding that Megan's twin brother, who she did not know as well, surely
enjoyed the same qualities.
Not your typical jock
Croton boys' lacrosse coach Kevin Flynn was perceptively somber when
reached by telephone Tuesday afternoon. Flynn, a teacher and coach
in the district for six years, was the head lacrosse coach for three
years during which McDonough played for him beginning in his freshman
year.
"It's a tough time for everyone who knew Chris because he was
such a great kid, a leader on our team," Flynn observed. "We're
going to miss him very much as a player and friend. Our team will
get together and remember him in some special way once school starts
next month."
Flynn said McDonough had progressed in all aspects of the game over
the past three years.
"He had a breakout year as a junior and was looking forward to
a great season next spring," Flynn remarked. "I've always
reminded my players about being careful, you know, about drinking
and partying. We don't know all the facts yet, but I know Chris was
a good person. It's sad that this kind of thing can happen to such
a good kid with a great future head of him."
Joel Adelberg, the high school principal, sent a letter home to parents,
students and staff that contained contact information for those seeking
grief counseling.
"Chris was just a happy kid," Adelberg commented during
an interview Tuesday in his office, also noting that while there was
a student fatality six years ago, McDonough's death was the first
car accident tragedy of its kind in recent memory to come out of the
roughly 400-student Croton-Harmon High School.
"He crossed over to so many groups and that's why this death
is going to be felt by so many," Adelberg said.
He explained that McDonough, also a member of the track team who took
high-level math and French as well as advanced-placement science,
wasn't just friends with jocks.
The school district's grief counseling service will likely continue
over the next few days.
A family friend has already contacted Adelberg with preliminary requests
for a scholarship or foundation to be formed in the young man's honor.
Tanya Viola, director of guidance at the high school and middle school,
called McDonough "an enjoyable kid, well liked and popular."
"People are going to go through a lot of emotions," she
said. "They will feel angry, sad … that's all normal and
expected."
The surviving passengers, Franco and Stanton, are about to head off
to college, a concern of Schools Superintendent Dr. Marjorie Castro.
"They're in a new environment," remarked Castro, saying
a guidance counselor had contacted the teenagers' colleges to ensure
they receive "support in their new community."
Castro said since the district is small and tight-knit she is familiar
with most students, including McDonough. While many students stick
to a clique in school, McDonough had the ability to be friendly with
many different groups, the superintendent said.
"Chris was such a joyful, fun-loving young man," Castro,
entering her 11th year as district superintendent, remarked. "He
was a wonderful person."
As of press time, funeral arrangement details were not known.
Marco Livbenov, 18, who graduated from Croton in June and was a teammate
and friend of McDonough's, was preparing his move to college next
week when he heard about his friend's death in an odd coincidence.
"I heard (Monday morning) that Chris has been in an accident
and that he was critical," Livbenov said. "I had a car accident
recently and I was at the shop checking on it when the guy showed
me Chris' car. He was really a great kid, always funny, always friendly.
I guess this could have happened to any of us."
Livbenov said he didn't know whether the accident was alcohol-related
but acknowledged the event put "things in perspective."
"It makes you realize that one mistake and one moment can change
a life," he said. "This is just about a good kid who may
have made a mistake. I just want to say that Chris was a great person."
Martin Wilbur contributed to this report
