St. Anthony's High Schooler Dies In Upstate Crash

Anthony Pagano

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

The St. Anthony’s High School community is mourning the loss of one of its own.

Anthony Pagano, a 17-year-old senior at the school, was killed early Saturday morning in a crash upstate.

Those who knew Pagano regarded him as a “force of positivity.”

School Principal Bro. Gary Cregan also described the Melville teen as a “quiet leader.”

“That’s something that is pretty special in a teenager,” Cregan said. “He was just a fine human being.”

Pagano fell asleep at the wheel while driving a 2017 Lincoln on Interstate 87 just outside of the town of Colonie, a suburb of Albany, at around 5:24 a.m., according to state police.

The car was traveling in the center lane of the highway, left the roadway on the eastern shoulder and struck a tree, state police said based on evidence at the scene. The car rotated and caught fire before coming to rest on the shoulder.

Pagano suffered blunt force trauma to his head and died while in intensive care at Albany Medical Center Hospital, police said. A teenage passenger in the car escaped the accident uninjured. Both were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, police said.

Back home, the news of Pagano’s death rocked the community.

A wake was held at M.A. Connell Funeral Home in Huntington Station. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Melville on Friday, 9:30 p.m. Pagano will be interred at Locust Valley Cemetery.

Bro. Gary Cregan said St. Anthony’s high schoolers will come together on Monday, when school resumes, to remember Pagano.

Cregan added that Pagano exemplified the “complete package” of a high school scholar athlete. Baseball was Pagano’s passion.

John Phelan, his baseball coach at St. Antony’s, said Pagano worked hard in the off season to earn a spot in the team’s starting lineup.

“He just wanted to play,” Phelan said. “He was really forcing himself into the lineup. It’s just a credit to his dedication.”

Phelan added, “He was such a great kid — always with a smile on his face — just the ultimate team guy.”