Services set for Andrew Salgado, 14; Miller Place prepares to say goodbye

The Miller Place and Sound Beach communities will gather early next week to honor the life of Andrew Salgado, the 14-year-old varsity athlete who died this week, five weeks after he suffered traumatic injuries in a bicycle accident on Route 25A.

Funeral arrangements for Andrew were finalized on Friday, offering the thousands of neighbors, classmates and supporters who rallied under the banners of “Andrew Strong” and “Pray for Andrew” a chance to pay their final respects.

Andrew died on Thursday, according to his obituary posted by the Branch Funeral Home of Miller Place. The eighth-grade varsity soccer player had remain hospitalized since colliding on his bike with a pickup truck on March 24, on the shoulder of Route 25A.

Andrew’s death was confirmed Wednesday by his older brother, Joseph, who remembered him as his “built-in best friend” and “the strongest kid” he had ever met.

Condolences and heartfelt well wishes have poured into a thankbox page established by Miller Place PTO.

“Ever since pre-K Andrew always stood out in a group. He truly is a special boy who was loved by so many and touched so many lives,” Vicki Margulies wrote on the thankbox page for Andrew’s family.

_{Top: Miller Place Duck Pond (Brian Harmon) and Andrew Salgado (courtesy of GoFundMe).}