MILFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - Two vigils were held Tuesday for a 19-year-old woman killed in a car crash in Milford Sunday night.
The first vigil honoring 19-year-old Jacqueline Gray was held at Milford High School, where she graduated from in 2015. Milford Public Schools will offer counseling services for current and former students on July 6 and 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Another vigil was held at St. Mary’s Church, where Gray was active in the church’s youth group.
At the high school vigil, Gray’s mother spoke to the crowd while a video of one of her daughter’s dance performances played on a projector.
“Jackie had a very pure, spiritual soul and I think that showed through her work at the church and her work with Best Buddies,” said her mother.
The crash happened at around 11 p.m. Sunday on Congress Street. According to police, the teens had just left JJ’s Ice Cream Shoppe in Upton, where some of them worked. They were headed to the Milford fireworks when the crash happened. Police said the car crashed into a telephone pole and then into a parked minivan.
The six victims were taken to the hospital, where Gray was pronounced dead. The five other people in the car, including Gray’s brother Ryan, suffered minor injuries.
Gray worked at JJ’s Ice Cream Shoppe and was a student at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. She also competed at Express Dance and Acrobatics for years and had recently started teaching classes there.
“She was just such a sweet, vivacious, wonderful young woman,” said Johnna Gorman, Gray’s boss from JJ’s Ice Cream Shoppe. “We’ll miss her very much.”
Police are now investigating the cause of the crash. They said distracted driving is a possibility but they are also investigating mechanical failure after some victims said the brakes were not working.
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