Schools

VIDEO: Agoura High Holds Candlelight Vigil in Memory of 3 Who Died

Hundreds gather at the school campus quad Tuesday night to honor the memories of Dan Behar, Josh Feinberg and Griffen Kramer.

Hugs, tears and a moving candlelight ceremony took place at a vigil Tuesday night at that paid tribute to three young men from the local area who died within the last eight days. Hundreds of friends, family members and fellow students attended the vigil to honor the memories of Dan Behar, 17, Joshua Feinberg, 21, and Griffen Kramer, 18.

The event was organized by students and friends of the deceased, according to the Las Virgenes Unified School District.

Last week, the body of Agoura Hills' , a student at Santa Barbara City College, was found at the bottom of Rindge Dam in Malibu, the victim of a suicide, according to deputies.

Find out what's happening in Agoura Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On Sunday, , a backup quarterback for the Thousand Oaks High School football team and the son of former NFL quarterback Erik Kramer, was found dead at a friend's home in Agoura Hills, the apparent victim of alcohol poisoning, according to a statement issued by his school.

Early Monday morning, Agoura High School senior committed suicide when he intentionally drove his car off Piuma Road near Cold Canyon Road and crashed, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies said.

Find out what's happening in Agoura Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As people gathered for the vigil in the high school's quad, candles were passed out by organizers wearing green T-shirts, Behar's favorite color, according to one student. Poster-sized images of Behar, Feinberg and Kramer were displayed atop a platform ringed with candles.

Students, many of whom were in tears, hugged each other for comfort. Words like "always smiling" and "seemed so happy" were overheard to describe the popular Behar.

Wassim Hmeidan, 17, had known Behar since the second grade, when Behar first moved to the area from Dusseldorf, Germany.

"I was one of the first kids to approach him," Hmeidan said. "He seemed happy and always had a smile on his face.... Everyone loved Dan."

Hmeidan expressed shock at Behar's suicide, saying that when he last saw his friend he didn't sense anything out of the ordinary about his behavior that would have signalled such a drastic action.

"He always seemed so outgoing," said 16-year-old Zach Villarreal, who came to pay respects to Behar's memory.

Ashley Enstrom, 20, an Agoura High graduate, said she came to honor the memory of Feinberg. She, too, expressed shock at the suicide of her friend and said he "always seemed happy."

During the two-hour ceremony, friends and loved ones of the young men addressed the crowd, expressing their love and sharing stories. Three Agoura High students performed an original song.

Behar's girlfriend, Nitzan Navick, spoke of her deep sense of loss and sadness.

Yoni Behar, in a moving tribute to his younger brother, said:

"Please, after today, wake up tomorrow, I’ll wake up tomorrow. He was the greatest little brother I could have asked for. He never asked me for anything that he needed. I felt like nothing was important until yesterday, and it’s not true. Everything is so important. You’ve got to value who you talk to. You’ve got to value the person in front of you."

Kramer's mother, Marshawn, strongly urged the crowd to watch out for one another, particularly when drugs or alcohol are involved. She told the gathering that she believed that a call to 911 might have saved her son's life.

A friend of Kramer's said of his friend: "Look how many people are impacted by all this. Everyone loved him. He’s looking over us right now. He’s here, somewhere in this crowd. He’s with us."

In a note to Patch following the vigil, , 18, a friend of Behar's who organized the vigil and who works with an online support site for troubled teens, wrote:

"I think all I want to say is that everyone's life matters and everyone is loved more than they will ever know! There is alway hope and alway help. Thank you so much for caring about the guys! They were great guys."


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