By Joe Kassar
Everybody has had a big loss in their lives, whether it was a championship game, a job, a pet, or a loved one, friend or family. My friend was named Luke Warbeck. He was an only child, and lived with his loving parents, John, and Gina Warbeck, and their two fluffy dogs, Shelly and Fiona.
Luke was an amazing kid with an astounding personality. I do not think I can name a single person that had a problem with him. He would always make some random, hilarious comment, and never failed to make anybody laugh. He had friends from multiple towns, all over the county. He loved the outdoors and doing things such as riding dirt bikes and quads with his friends. I never brought myself to buy a quad, so I never went riding with him. Looking back, I really wish I did now.
He owned a big, loud Cummins pick up truck that we would never stop hearing about. Although Luke had a ton of friends, there were no two people closer to each other than Luke, and his father John Warbeck. He and his father had an unbreakable bond that could never be separated, no matter what. In fact, he planned to work for, and take over his father’s construction business when he got older. Luke was such a bright kid, and it pains me to this day to think about the tragic incident that changed so many lives, forever.
I attended Boonton High School for 4 years, where there are only 600 total students. Luke and I are from Lincoln Park, the neighboring town of Boonton. Our town does not even have a high school, so we merged with the Boonton students going into freshman year. Both of our towns are small, and not a lot goes on here. There are small amounts of crime, and probably a little more than 10,000 people in the town of Lincoln Park. I know of some schools around me that have almost 4 times the number of students as we did. Everyone knew everyone in Boonton.
Although Luke had a ton of friends, there were no two people closer to each other than Luke, and his father John Warbeck. He and his father had an unbreakable bond that could never be separated, no matter what. In fact, he planned to work for, and take over his father’s construction business when he got older.
The day was Tuesday, February 19, 2019 which was exactly a week after my 17th birthday. It was a normal day at school during second period English of our Junior year. We had the coolest teacher that everyone loved who goes by the name of Mrs. Tambakis. I had a bunch of my close friends (including Luke) in my class and we all sat together, in a group of 6 desks. My friend Luke was known for being late, or missing school, so when he was not in class, nobody thought anything of it. He had previously told us that he was going to be late to school because he was getting his registration for his Dad’s new Chevy Camaro. So just like any other day of school, everyone attended all their classes with not a single bad thought about our friend, Luke.
As the school day was coming to an end, there were some rumors that something bad had happened to Luke, but nobody knew for sure what it could be. I would prefer not to restate them because it pains me to think about it, let alone read it. I was bringing my sister home from school when she looked at her phone and started to choke up. “Did Luke die?” she asked. And my heart dropped.
I frantically drove home in tears and texted multiple people about it. We had found out that Luke and his father were both parked getting gas at a Delta station when an inconsiderate scumbag off heroin and fentanyl swerved off the road, and took the roof off of their Chevy Camaro killing Luke, his father, and the gas station attendant.
John was very well known, and a volunteer firefighter as well. His birthday was the next day. This just goes to show that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There are so many things I wish could have changed regarding this incident. They could have gotten to the gas station 2 minutes later, or even been on the other side of the gas pump. The randomness of the incident, and the horrible string of bad luck that they received is very heartbreaking.
There are so many things I wish could have changed regarding this incident. They could have gotten to the gas station 2 minutes later, or even been on the other side of the gas pump. The randomness of the incident, and the horrible string of bad luck that they received is very heartbreaking.
The driver, Jason Vanderee, was so high off drugs, that they needed to use Narcan to bring him back. I am happy he lived so he can rot in jail for the rest of his life. The offender has not been sentenced yet, but is still awaiting an official trial, while being held in custody. And the crazier part is that this was not the first time.
This is another thing I would like to see changed. At least 10,000 people die each year from DUI cases, whether they are a victim or the driver. It is common sense to not get behind the wheel when under the influence of anything, alcohol or drugs. This is a perfect example of why.
I do not even remember exactly what happened on this day considering the amount of emotions everyone went through, but it was a devastating day for hundreds of people. I and many others went to my friend’s house who was best friends with him, and who has been close with him since they were toddlers. Everyone was in tears, as we gathered around the television to watch the news coverage about it. There were about 12 of us huddled around the TV, comforting each other, planning what we could do for Luke and his father, and most importantly, Luke’s mother, who was left with nothing.
We decided that we would go to the Delta station (in Wayne on Route 23) to mourn the loss of our friend and his father. Dozens of students from Boonton and Montville showed up, along with multiple news reporters and police. We stayed there in the below freezing temperatures for over an hour, laying flowers and candles down for our fallen brother. It was a beautiful moment to see everyone who came to support us and the Warbecks. I cried myself to sleep that night, getting maybe a full hour at most.
We had school the next day.
Some people decided not to come because they did not think they would be able to contain themselves or focus. The principal and most of the administration was very helpful and caring for us. For about a month after the tragic accident, I spent most of my days in the library with a good amount of people who were all the closest friends of Luke. We had counselors grieving with us and helping us bond with each other to get back on our feet.
Luke’s girlfriend, two others, and I had requested multiple things done for Luke, such as a moment of silence, a plaque, an assembly, and much more. We have what we call a “dark room” within a classroom where students partake in photography. The walls were covered in black. Luke had an amazing bond with the teacher, Mrs. Oliveri. A couple days later, HUNDREDS of students had written prayers and messages all over the walls for Luke. Everyone was proud of this. It made us feel better, and like we really did something special for our beloved friend.
About two days after the room was completed, I was told by one of my friends that it has been painted over. I. Was. Furious.
This sparked an outrage among the whole school. I took the initiative to post on social media “Protest for Luke outside of the photo room tomorrow morning, before the first bell.” It was minutes before I saw my post spreading around social media. It brought tears to my eyes to see the number of people who were supportive of me and my friend.
I arrived at school the next day, to see at least half of the school gathered in the hallway, eyes filled with anger regarding the wall being painted over. The first bell rang, and nobody budged. We held our ground proving to the administration that this was unacceptable, and something had to be done. They pulled us into the auditorium and had us take a seat.
We were greeted by the Superintendent who had given us some pointless speech explaining why they needed to have the wall painted over. There were hundreds of people screaming in despair. Everyone was so angry and confused about why such a thing was ordered, but none of the reasoning made any sense to the students. Apparently, the out-of-line sentiment was that if students see that all of this is being done for a student who died, they may do something rash for the same attention.
Our Principal, Jason Klebez, was with me every step of the way. I constantly would have meetings with him in his office with my friend Mike (who has known Luke his whole life), Sophia, (Luke’s girlfriend) and Fiolla, (a close friend of Luke, and best friend of Sophia). We decided to customize wristbands for Luke and his father. We made them camouflage, with white lettering. They contained the initials of the two, and their date of death. This was previously discussed in the library, but was finalized with the four of us, (and of course our friend Kristen who helped come up with the design). We ordered over 1,000 wristbands, paid for by the Board of Education. This could not have been possible without the help of our Principal. We sold them to people from all around the area, students, teachers, parents, everyone. We put 100% of the money into a scholarship in Luke’s name, and donated some as well. This all took place over a month or two and brought majority of the school back together.
This tragedy changed the lives of so many people, forever. There is still not a day in my life that I do not think about what happened on the day of February 19, 2019, but more importantly, the father and son that God took way too soon. At the end of the school year this year, we received our yearbooks. After all the senior portraits, Luke had a page dedicated to himself. I was very appreciative of this, and I hope that Luke and his father are too, as they look down over us and admire everything, we did for them. Rest in Peace, brother.
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