A Binghamton University student was killed in a hiking accident just weeks before his graduation, according to the school and his friends.
Andrew Desiderio, 21, a senior who served as a local fire department junior lieutenant, died on the trail Monday, the university announced.
“Although he has left us all too soon, we remember that Andrew was doing what he loved,” the university said. “Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. Rest easy Andrew.”
Details about the accident were not immediately known Friday.
Desiderio, originally from Mineola, was a mechanical engineering major with a passion for cars, according to the school newspaper, Pipe Dream. He joined the Mineola Fire Department in 2013, and worked his way up to junior lieutenant three years later.
“While in Binghamton Andrew spent most of his time in the shop building the school’s formula car. When Andrew was home, he was always on the move. He started a band and a detailing company that he was just kicking back up for the summer,” Mineola Fire Department Truck 2 told the paper. “Around the firehouse Andrew would pitch in wherever needed.”
A GoFundMe page was set up in Desiderio’s honor to create a scholarship fund at Mineola High School.
“Andrew loved to create and build things. His mind was always working on plans and ideas … He planned to graduate in May with a degree in Mechanical Engineering,” it states. “Spending time with [friends] – either one on one or in a group – meant everything to him.”
On Friday, more than $68,000 had been raised for his GoFundMe page.
