About 200 people huddled Tuesday afternoon around a dusty pair of red and white baseball cleats hanging on a post at the west side of campus at Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove.
Little was said at first, but weeping was heard among those gathered in memory of Coleton Mondy, 17, and Joshua Morales, 19, two young people who died in a car crash early Saturday. Bass lines from some of the teens’ favorite songs boomed from the speakers of a car parked across the street as mourners lit candles and added them to a growing makeshift memorial. Mondy was a Bolsa Grande baseball player; Morales had graduated from the school.
A sign with family photos and messages from friends is part of a memorial set up for a vigil for Coleton Mondy at Bolsa Grande High in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Hundreds of students gather outside Bolsa Grande High for a vigil for Coleton Mondy in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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A student prays at a memorial set up for a vigil for Bolsa Grande High student Coleton Mondy, outside Bolsa Grande High in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Derek Nguyen, 17, left, a friend of Coleton Mondy, embraces Mondy’s sister Shaiiann Yezeski, right, as hundreds of Bolsa Grande High students gather for a vigil for Coleton Mondy, outside Bolsa Grande High in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tara Ruppel, left, mother of Coleton Mondy, gets a hug from a student during a vigil for Mondy, outside Bolsa Grande High in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bolsa Grande High students light candles at the base of a memorial during a vigil for Coleton Mondy in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bolsa Grande High students at a vigil for Coleton Mondy open a path for his sister Shaiiann Yezseki and his mother Tara Ruppel outside Bolsa Grande High in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Family photos of Coleton Mondy were placed on a memorial made for his vigil outside Bolsa Grande High in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A student and friend of Coleton Mondy cries at the vigil held at Bolsa Grande High for Coleton in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Shaiiann Yezeski, center, and Tara Ruppel, right, sister and mother of Coleton Mondy, embrace during a vigil for Mondy at Bolsa Grande High in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Hundreds of students gather around a memorial set up for a vigil outside Bolsa Grande High for Coleton Mondy in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Friends of Coleton Mondy cry during a vigil outside Bolsa Grande High for Mondy in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Shaiiann Yezeski, left center, sister of Coleton Mondy, grieves during her brother’s vigil held at Bolsa Grande High in Garden Grove on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Mondy, 17, who was on the Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball team, was killed in a crash in Silverado. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Coleton Mondy, who was killed in a crash in Silverado. Mondy was a 17-year-old Bolsa Grande High School varsity baseball player. (Courtesy of GoFundMe)
Mondy’s sister, Shaiiann Yezeski stood at the center of the group, surrounded by her brother’s classmates, friends and relatives. Through tears, she thanked those gathered for their support.
“He loved you like family. You meant the world to him,” she managed to say before reaching out to embrace her mother, Tara Ruppel. “Mom, it’s not fair,” she said as the two were escorted out of the densely packed crowd.
Mondy and Morales were among a group of five friends who were in a 1998 Mazda Protege that traveled off of Santiago Canyon Road in Silverado, through a barbed wire fence and into the tree, the California Highway Patrol said. The three other passengers in the vehicle, Daniel Clark, 18, of Santa Ana; Luis Hernandez, 19, of Garden Grove; and Bolsa Grande softball player Unique Valdez, 18, of Garden Grove, were seriously injured in the crash.
Valdez remained in treatment Tuesday, but her condition had improved since the collision, according to her classmates. Clark was taken off of life support and transferred from Mission Hospital to Los Angeles Medical Center on Sunset Boulevard, with his family at his bedside, said Annam Ahmed, 17, the Bolsa Grande student who organized Tuesday’s vigil. She said doctors told relatives that his condition had also stabilized. Hernandez will need multiple surgeries, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help him.
The driver of the sedan that crashed over the weekend, Morales, 19, of Garden Grove, was found dead at the scene.
On Tuesday, his father stared silently at the candles burning at his feet as loved ones wrapped their arms around his shoulders. The grieving parent lingered at the memorial as the crowd of mourners dispersed, and declined to speak to reporters.
The teen’s friend, Bianca Ramirez, 15, remembered the Bolsa Grande alumni as a caring and intelligent person. She said Morales graduated in 2017 and aspired to become a nurse.
Mondy was on track to graduate with his friends at Bolsa Grande next year, his longtime neighbor Derek Nguyen, 17, said Tuesday.
“He was a brother to me,” said Nguyen. “He always texted me every morning just to say ‘what’s up?’ I don’t know how I’ll get used to not seeing those messages anymore.”
He had known Mondy since the age of three, and described him as a goofy kid who grew into a loyal and caring person who was always quick with a joke. He played basketball as a child, but developed a passion for baseball. He became a Cubs fan, and was recognized as one of the most athletic members of the Bolsa Grande varsity team by his teammates, and a hard worker by his coach, Donny Terranove.
“At the end of a game, there wasn’t a spot on his uniform that wasn’t covered in dirt,” he said. “We wouldn’t have won half the games we did without him.”
The 6″ 1′ junior had a .390 batting average, but his spirit and compassion were his greatest contributions to his team and those fortunate enough to have met him, Terranove said.
Those who wish to contribute to medical expenses for Hernandez and Clark may do so via separate campaigns on GoFundMe. Relatives of Mondy and Morales have also created fundraising campaigns to help pay for funeral expenses.
About The Author
Brent A. Duque
From humble beginnings and son of hard-working immigrant parents, Brent Duque was raised in La Puente, California. After graduating from West Covina High School and Mt. San Antonio College, Mr. Duque went on to graduate from Cal State University Fullerton with a Bachelors degree in Political Science. After obtaining his undergraduate degree, Mr. Duque did his graduate studies in Education and Public Administration at California Polytechnic University Pomona.
After working for other firms, Mr. Duque knew that if he opened his own firm, he could provide more aggressive representation, better communication with clients, and secure larger settlements and verdicts for his clients.
In 2006, he started his firm and has had a remarkable and successful career that he attributes to his firm’s aggressive and relentless pursuit of justice for his clients. As owner and managing attorney of the firm, Mr. Duque has fought for and secured millions of dollars for his clients.
