NEW MILFORD — A funeral service for the 18-year-old New Milford High School senior who died Friday in Hardcastle Pond will be held Monday.
Clinten Ajit went into the pond to retrieve a soccer ball for kids playing nearby and never resurfaced, according to eyewitnesses.
Emergency workers recovered Ajit’s body about three hours after a 7:15 p.m. 911 call to police that said someone went swimming in the borough-owned Dorchester Lane pond but hadn’t resurfaced.
A funeral will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at Westwood Cemetery on Kinderkamack Road. A viewing was held Sunday afternoon at St. Peter’s Mar Thoma Church in Washington Township.
A GoFundMe for the family raised over $50,000 as of Sunday morning.
The high school will be operating on a two-hour delay Monday morning. Ajit played high school soccer and was in the school marching band.
New Milford schools superintendent Danielle Shanley sent a letter to borough families on Saturday that said the district would have on standby a “team of highly skilled professionals trained to help with the needs of students, families and school personnel” when school reopens Monday.
The district also established a helpline for those who might need support before Monday, Shanley wrote.
“There is no greater loss than that of a child,” Shanley wrote. “Please keep his family in your thoughts.”
Editor’s note: The story has been updated to reflect a corrected version of Clinten Ajit’s name.
Kristie Cattafi is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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Twitter: @KristieCattafi