The Sag Harbor community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of Cesar Albarracin Guncay, a beloved sixth-grade student whose life was tragically cut short during a school trip to Pennsylvania.

Cesar, 12, died on Wednesday afternoon following a rafting accident on the Lehigh River in Carbon County while participating in an annual class excursion to the Pocono Mountains with fellow students and staff from Pierson Middle-High School.

According to authorities, Cesar was one of five people riding in an inflatable raft as part of a guided rafting trip when the raft overturned around 5:30 p.m. All five individuals were thrown into the water. Despite rescue efforts, Cesar did not resurface. Search-and-rescue teams later recovered his body. Officials confirmed that life jackets were being worn at the time, and an investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

News of Cesar’s passing has left classmates, teachers, and families throughout Sag Harbor devastated. In a message shared with the school community, Superintendent Jeff Nichols described Cesar as “a cherished member of our school family” and expressed the deep sorrow being felt across the district.

Friends and community members are remembering Cesar as a bright young boy whose presence brought joy to those around him. As loved ones struggle to process the unimaginable loss, the Sag Harbor community has come together to support Cesar’s family during this incredibly difficult time.

Donations and fundraising efforts have already begun as neighbors, friends, and supporters rally around the family to help ease the burden they now face and to honor Cesar’s memory in a meaningful way.

Counseling services are being made available for students and staff as the community continues to grieve together.

Though his life was tragically brief, Cesar Albarracin Guncay will be remembered with love by all who knew him, and his memory will forever remain in the hearts of his family, classmates, teachers, and the entire Sag Harbor community.