Sophie Nieto-Munoz and Tara Gaffney console each other as Daniel Sech looks on during the Aug. 31 candlelight vigil at Old Bridge High School. Hundreds gathered to mourn the victims of the shooting that took place earlier that day at the Pathmark store on Route 9 in Old Bridge. JEFF GRANIT staff Hours after learning that two Old Bridge High School alumni had been shot and killed while working a nightshift at the Pathmark store on Route 9, hundreds came together outside the school Aug. 31 to pay their respects.
Cristina LoBrutto, 18, and Bryan Breen, 24, were killed just before 4 a.m. Aug. 31 when 23-year-old Terence S. Tyler, who had worked at the store for less than two weeks, opened fire on his coworkers and then killed himself, authorities said.
Stunned by the news, residents of Old Bridge and beyond, from young children to elders in wheelchairs, gathered at sunset that evening for a candlelight vigil in honor of LoBrutto and Breen. Many current students were there with their parents, some of whom clutched their children tightly during the tearful event. Crying frequently punctuated the still of the evening as friends embraced each other, finding their own way to cope with the tragedy. Some brought flowers, pictures and other mementos to leave at a makeshift memorial, which expanded in size as the evening moved on. Congressman Frank Pallone, state Sen. Sam Thompson and Mayor Owen Henry were among those paying their respects.
Old Bridge High School student Sophia Nieto-Munoz lights a candle in front of a memorial set up outside the school on Aug. 31. JEFF GRANIT staff “This is just so out of place at Old Bridge,” Interim Superintendent of Schools Timothy Brennan said of the shootings. He said the crowd attending the evening vigil showed the closeness of the community. “I’ve been in many school districts over the years, and I don’t think I’ve ever been in one where the school is more like a family.”
Mourners reflect on the victims during the vigil. PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Brennan said that many who attend or have graduated from Old Bridge feel as if they lost family members.
Many students and alumni showed their support for the victims by wearing Old Bridge High School T-shirts or their senior class shirts. LoBrutto had only graduated last June. One student, senior James O’Connell, wore his football jersey to express support for the families.
“I felt that the families need support after a tragedy happens, and it’s best to support people in your town,” O’Connell said.
Bryan Gearghty, also a senior at Old Bridge High School, was shocked and saddened by the news. “This happened in my town and it’s a devastating situation,” Gearghty said. “It was so devastating that I felt that I needed to send my regards.”
Friends pay their respects during an Aug. 31 candlelight vigil at Old Bridge High School. Rev. Jack Grimes of St. Ambrose Church in Old Bridge addressed those present as it got dark, offering words of comfort to the crowd, estimated to number 1,000 or more.
“The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and no torment can touch them now,” Grimes said. “It seems that … their passing away was wrought with affliction and their going forth from us utter destruction. However, they are now at peace.”
He concluded by offering a prayer and words of advice to the mourners.
“I want to say something that a father would say to their own child,” Grimes began. “Be kind to one another. Love one another. Forgive one another. Support one another.”
Contact Stella Morrison at [email protected]