Sheckler ES children mourned the loss of a schoolmate last week. Hanover Township resident Darious Condash died Nov. 6 after being struck by a vehicle on Schoenersville Road.

A resident of Suzanne Way, Hanover Township, Lehigh County, he was the son of Xiomara Merced and Steven Santiago.

Assistant Principal Ron DeMaio says fourth-grade students at the school released helium balloons into the sky during a memorial ceremony for their 9-year-old friend.

When school convened the Monday following the accident, counselors were in place to assist students there and also at Catasauqua MS with processing their grief.

“One of our eighth-grade students was present during the accident,” said middle school Assistant Principal Bryan Klass. “She’s doing okay. It was a tragedy.”

Catasauqua School District Superintendent Robert Spengler said Darious was a fourth-grade student.

“It’s been a sad and emotional situation,” he said. “We have utilized the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21 Countywide Flight Team, which is comprised of counselors from regional school districts, to assist us in providing grief counseling for our students and staff.”

Sheckler Principal Eric Dauberman said of the school day that Monday, “It was a trying day for everyone, but they got through it.”

He said support was provided at the middle school because numerous students there also knew Darious well.

Spengler said “scores of students” in the school district had received help from the counseling team Monday.

“They have been provided support, counseling and activities that assist them in dealing with the tragic situation and understanding their feeling of loss,” he said. “We are so very fortunate to be part of a small, close-knit educational community that can respond quickly and passionately to these types of crisis situations, providing support for all affected.”

Catasauqua School Board members also expressed their sentiments.

“The loss of a child, especially in a tragic event like this, is hard for a small community to endure,” said Don Panto. “A small community like ours finds many ways to draw together and offer kindness to those who hurt.”

Colonial Regional Police Chief Roy Seiple told The Press the fatal crash occurred at 6:29 p.m. in the 3,300 block of Schoenersville Road, near the Wawa convenience store, where Darious was walking with two older children. The driver of the car fled the scene.

A Catasauqua resident who asked not to be identified was at the scene of the accident.

“I was there Friday night, minutes after it happened,” she said. “We prayed. It was all we could do. My heart is broken and aching for that poor family.”

Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim pronounced the boy dead at 7:36 p.m. at St. Luke’s Hospital, Bethlehem, where he was taken by ambulance.

Following an autopsy, performed Saturday, the cause of death is attributed to multiple blunt force trauma.

An anonymous tip led police to the damaged vehicle and its owner. Seiple held a press conference to reveal an arrest was made.

At the Nov. 9 news conference, Seiple said a tip led them to a home on Kathi Drive, Hanover Township, Northampton County, where a 2007 slate blue Mazda with front-end damage was found in the garage.

An earlier news release said police were looking for “a silver or gray Honda four-door with a blue high-definition (Xenon) headlight system [and a] rear spoiler that was raised 10 to 12 inches off the car, and a louder than normal exhaust system.”

A criminal complaint states the car had trim matching debris found at the accident site. The vehicle’s owner, Royce Atkins, 22, was arrested and charged with careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident involving death or injury, a felony with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $25,000.

Seiple said the accident happened as Darious and his 14-year-old cousin and a 15-year-old friend were crossing the six-lane road on their way home from the Wawa store.

The Sheckler Home and School Association is collecting funds from staff and donating it directly to the family.

Residents may contribute directly to a GoFundMe site created by family members.

Mark Reccek and Paul Cmil contributed to this article.

Darious’ obituary appears on page A4.