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Family and friends will gather in Babylon this week to mourn the death of teenager Riley Goot, who died in a two-car crash in West Babylon early Saturday. He was 18.
Affectionately described by friends as a “a ray of light” and “an amazing big brother, friend, son, student and athlete,” Goot graduated from West Babylon High School in June. He and four teenage friends were in a 2025 Kia Seltos that was slammed into by a 2017 Kia sedan that Suffolk police said had failed to stop for a red light just after 1 a.m. Saturday.
The driver of the Kia sedan, Michael Desmond, 33, of Lindenhurst, also died in the wreck. The driver in the Kia Seltos, 17-year-old Bella Trezza of Babylon, is gravely injured and remains on life support at Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip.
Trezza’s brother Austin, 18, and two other passengers, Jack Murphy, 18, of Babylon, and Anthony Pagliuca, 16, of West Babylon, also sustained serious injuries and remain hospitalized.
Outpouring of support for Babylon brother and sister hospitalized in fatal crash
Goot is survived by his parents, Stefan Erik and Colleen; his sister Sarah; his brother Greyson; his grandfathers, George Wenk and Michael Goot; and a number of aunts, uncles and cousins.
Visitation services to honor Goot are on Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 2-4:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., at Claude R. Boyd-Spencer Funeral Home, 448 W. Main St. in Babylon. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, 39 North Carll Ave. in Babylon.
To ease the financial strain on the Goot family for any funeral and wake expenses, friends today established a GoFundMe campaign on their behalf.
“Anyone who knew Riley knew how truly awesome he was,” states the GoFundMe campaign. “We are starting this GoFundMe campaign so they can start the process of healing and recovery. Any contribution, any size, is appreciated.
Top photo: GoFundMe
