Students mourn teen killed in accident

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - The bright, sunny afternoon was a stark contrast Monday to the mood of students inside Kempsville High School. The sudden death of 16-year-old Joey Fonseca was felt in every hallway and classroom, and students' emotions swirled knowing that another 16-year-old student, a friend of Joey's, was charged with driving drunk and causing the accident that killed him.

"I couldn't imagine living with that," said Justin Cartwright, a junior at Kempsville. "And then growing up and having to tell your children about that one day, that's not something you can walk away from. You carry that for a long time."

Virginia Beach Police say the boy who was driving had been drinking alcohol and crashed into a tree on Avalon Avenue just after midnight Saturday night. Joey, the pitcher for Kempsville's varsity baseball team, died at the scene.

"My gut reaction was shock," said Joey's coach, John Cinnamond. "It was hard to imagine." Coach Cinnamond gathered all his players first thing Monday morning. "I just told them we have to remember Joey in our own way and do the best we can to cope with this and be there for each other. We've got to be a family as best we can."

Coach Cinnamond told WAVY.com Joey was a sweet, polite child—a good boy he felt lucky to coach. Reaching out to Joey's parents was incredibly difficult for Cinnamond. "There is not much you can say in that situation. Being a parent myself, I can't imagine what they are going through and will be going through for a long time."

Joey's teammates are so distraught, said Coach Cinnamond, baseball practice has been cancelled indefinitely. He said he's not sure when they will be ready to get back on the field.

One student at the school said her phone was going off nonstop when news off the accident got out.

"It was right after 12 and I had literally gone to sleep and I got a million texts saying that he was drunk and they hit the tree back here," said classmate Ali Forbes.

"I got a text on my cell phone saying Joey Fonseca died and I was just in shock. I didn't know what to believe," said another classmate, Macio Draughton.

Monday night, some students visited the crash site with flowers and notes. Teammate Chris Carlan used this time to say goodbye.

"It feels like I'm with him kind of," said Carlan. He saw Fonseca on Saturday, in what would be the last time he would ever see his friend. "We were just throwing the baseball around having a good time."

He said most of the team spent Monday with guidance couselors and Coach John Cinnamond.

The 16-year-old driver of the Oldsmobile was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was charged with DUI and involuntary manslaughter and is being held at the Virginia Beach Juvenile Detention Center. His name is not being released because of his age.

Police have also not released any details yet about the party Fonseca and the driver allegedly attended before the accident.

"There's laws that you have to follow and if you don't follow them you have to pay the consequences and he took an innocent life and he has to live with that for the rest of his life," said Draughton.
"He is a really nice guy and he has a lot of friends and he is really well known. That's going to be talked about a lot that's for sure," said Forbes.

A "Joey Fonseca" Memorial Fund has been established to help his family with funeral expenses. You can make a donation at any RBC Bank .
 

Joey's parents, Steve and Brenda Fonseca, issued this statement Tuesday to WAVY.com:

"I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for the outpouring of love and support from family, friends, including Kempsville and neighboring communities. It has been overwhelming. Please stay focused to the moral and spiritual aspect of this tragic accident. Our prayers also extend to the driver and his family. A Joey Fonseca memorial fund has been established at RBC Bank and any of their branch offices."