Addiel Ortiz,Easton Beisler Obituary, Death; – A community in New Jersey is grieving the tragic loss of a 9-year-old youth football player and the coach of another youth team following a collision outside a sports complex.
On Sunday evening, hundreds gathered to pay tribute to 9-year-old Easton Beisler during a vigil. A fourth grader at Upper Township Primary School, Easton played youth football for the Upper Township Indians, as reported by WPVI.
According to police, Easton was a passenger in an SUV driven by his mother on Thursday night when they were involved in a crash with 31-year-old Addiel Ortiz, who was riding a motorcycle. Both Easton and Ortiz lost their lives in the incident. Ortiz served as a youth football coach for the Vineland Blitz, and his team had been hosting Easton’s team on the night of the accident, WPVI reports.
During the vigil, attendees honored Easton, who wore jersey number 23, with a moment of 23 seconds of silence, as noted by WTXF. He is remembered as “a bright and talented peewee player who touched the hearts of everyone around him,” according to a GoFundMe campaign established for his family.
“The best kid,” remarked music teacher Amy Lord at the vigil. “He embodied every positive quality one could attribute to a child.”
A vigil for Ortiz is scheduled for Monday evening. In addition to his role as a youth football coach, he served as a state corrections police officer for over a decade. He is survived by his fiancée and four children, as indicated by a GoFundMe set up for his family.
Gandalf Sollenberger, a board member of the Vineland Blitz, spoke to various local news outlets about Ortiz, describing him as a devoted father. “He was a great guy,” Sollenberger told KYW. “Always giving.”
The local youth football community is heartbroken over the loss of both a promising player and a cherished coach. Jerome Clements, who coached alongside Ortiz for four years, attended the vigil for Easton, as reported by WPVI.
“It’s a tragedy. It is. The young man didn’t even get a chance to live his life, and Coach Addie didn’t get a chance to live his,” Clements expressed. Authorities have stated that no charges have been filed in connection with the incident.
