Family members and friends gathered in Yorba Linda on Thursday evening, Nov. 12, for a candlelight vigil honoring three local high school students who died in separate incidents in recent weeks.
Matthew Andres Santome, 16, of Placentia, a junior at El Dorado High School, and Brooklyn Oliool, died following a two-vehicle crash near Yorba Linda Boulevard and Ohio Street around 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6
Santome, who was driving one of the vehicles, was pronounced dead at a hospital Friday night. Mejia, who was a passenger in his vehicle, was hospitalized in critical condition and died during the weekend, according to Orange County sheriff’s Sgt. Gerard McCann.
Levi Girson, 16, who attended Esperanza High School,
Levi Girson, 16, who attended Esperanza High School, died Saturday, Oct. 31, after being struck by a train on the tracks near Orangethorpe Avenue, Anaheim police spokesman Sgt. Eric Anderson said.
More than 200 people attended the vigil to honor Santome, Mejia and Girson, lighting candles in the outfield of a baseball field at Veterans Sports Park. Attendees included school and district faculty, family members, friends and classmates of the three students. A table was set up with blank cards for attendees to write messages to the students’ families, along with three collection boxes, one for each family.
- Lucy Thune, left, hugs the grandmother of Brooklyn Olivia Mejia, and her sister, Addi Mejia, 14, at a candlelight vigil held in Brooklyn’s honor along with two other students who died in recent weeks. The vigil was held at Veterans Park in Yorba Linda on Thursday, November 12, 2026. (Photo by Karen Tapia, Orange County Register/SCNG)
1 of 6
Lucy Thune, left, hugs the grandmother of Brooklyn Olil held in Brooklyn’s honor along with two other students who died in recent weeks. The vigil was held at Veterans Park in Yorba Linda on Thursday, November 12, 2026. (Photo by Karen Tapia, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Expand
Mejia, Girson and Santome were all friends
Mejia, Girson and Santome were all friends with one another 17, who was friends with all three and attended middle school with Mejia and Santome
Royce recalled Santome’s sense of humor and the time they spent getting food together, particularly at McDonald’s, which she said was one of his favorite places to eat.
Santome was remembered as a kind, funny and driven teenager who brought joy and laughter to those around him, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser established to help his family cover funeral expenses.
At the vigil, Evelyn Roman, 17, wore
At the vigil, Evelyn Roman, 17, wore a T-shirt with a picture of Mejia on it. They had been close friends for six years, Roman said.
“She was a happy person. She liked to make people laugh and always looked out for other people,” Roman said. “She was always herself.”
Mejia’s grandmother, Mona Mejia, and her younger sister, Addi Mejia, 14, were also present at the vigil. Addi wore a shirt with a picture of her and her sister when they were younger.
They both left a big impact on our
“They both left a big impact on our lives,” said Kate Barclay, who attended elementary school with Santome and high school with Mejia.
Levi Girson’s father, Darnell Girson, described his son as a talented and kindhearted boy who loved basketball and excelled in school. He could sing, dance and always knew how to make people laugh, his father said, calling him a “jack of all trades.”
Darnell Girson said he and Levi’s mother learned through a letter left in one of the collection boxes that their son had walked a girl to school every day to make sure she was safe.
“He could always make people smile, even on their worst day,” Levi’s older brother, Davieon Girson, 18, said.
People can donate to Girson’s family through Meal Train.
