At Gerrin Hagen vigil in Long Beach, there's music, prayer and tears for teen killed in skateboard accident
Joe Brand held two fingers in the air as he stood at the podium in front of hundreds of mourners at a candlelight vigil Saturday in Long Beach.
The No. 2 is on the ice hockey jersey worn by Gerrin Hagen, an 18-year-old who died Friday after he was hit by a sport utility vehicle while skateboarding Thursday in Hicksville.
The number also represented a pledge.
Hagen wore his No. 2 “with a lot of pride,” said Brand, the Long Beach parks commissioner and a close family friend. He urged everyone to make a commitment: “Live like Gerrin.”
Through music, prayer and tears, the Long Beach community stood shoulder-to-shoulder to remember a young man with an “infectious smile” who was described as a role model among his peers, a fierce competitor on the ice and a friend always willing to help others.
A photo of Gerrin Hagen is displayed at the candlelight vigil Saturday in Long Beach. Credit: Howard Simmons
As the service concluded, many of the mourners placed their candles together in front of a poster featuring Hagen's name and photo, creating a large memorial. A pair of hockey sticks rested on a pillar where a large banner featured a photo of Hagen in his Long Beach hockey uniform. The “C” for captain was visible under his left shoulder.
“He always made the people around him better,” said Brian Brand, 18, a close friend, former teammate and Joe's son. “If ever we needed something, in the middle of the night, during the day, whenever it was, he was always the first person to show up and help us out.”
Patrick Mechow, 18, another close friend, recalled how Hagen was honored in 2018 for returning a wallet he had found that happened to belong to a City Court judge. Hagen was 13 at the time and later posed for a photo with the judge that ran with a story on liherald.com.
“He had no idea it was the judge’s wallet,” Mechow said. “They wound up calling him at city hall and had a big honor for him.”
Hagen had been dismissed for the day shortly before he was struck Thursday near Joseph M. Barry Career & Technical Education Center in Hicksville, a spokeswoman for Nassau BOCES said. Nassau County police said Hagen was hit by a 2012 Honda Pilot as both were heading west on Cantiague Lane. The 19-year-old driver of the SUV remained at the scene, and Hagen was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead by doctors Friday.
Saturday's vigil was held at Veterans Memorial Park in front of Emile Francis Memorial Ice Arena where Hagen honed his craft as a skillful defenseman. Hagen’s parents, Chris and Dawn, and his younger sister Tara attended.
Mike McArdle, a family friend, spoke during the vigil about the influence Hagen had on so many people.
He also thanked the Hagen family.
“You guys gave us the gift of Gerrin,” he said. “You guys allowed us to be part of his life; to be part of your life.”
Teammates, friends, and family remember Gerrin Hagen at a candlelight vigil in Long Beach on Saturday. Credit: Howard Simmons
In an interview earlier Saturday, Joe Brand said it wasn’t just Hagen's attributes on the ice that stood out, but the way he carried himself in the locker room and how he helped his teammates.
“Kids like that aren’t just manufactured,” he said. “Man, was he blessed with a lot of traits that not many kids his age possessed.”
Brand recalled watching Hagen play his first game at the rink when he was probably about 5-foot-5 and 100 pounds.
“We joked around, the kid played like he was 6-3, 220,” he said.
Hagen hoped to play hockey in college and had recently met the coaching staff at Farmingdale State College.
Joe Mazzie, Farmingdale’s head coach, confirmed he had met Hagen multiple times and that he had skated with the team. Mazzie said in an email he was “terribly upset” about Hagen's passing.
Hagen was a standout lacrosse player as well, and also spent a lot of time on the beach working as a lifeguard, Joe Brand said.
Tributes for the Hagen family poured in from near and far. The FDNY Hockey Team, a nonprofit organization that competes in tournaments and charity events, released a statement Saturday in support of the family. Hagen's father and uncle are lieutenants in the FDNY.
Joe Brand said the close-knit community in Long Beach would continue to band together in the ensuing days and weeks.
“We’re going to grieve together. We’re going to cry together,” he said.
Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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