It's every parent's worst nightmare - boy, 12, from school in wealthy enclave was on a class trip when it turned into unimaginable tragedy

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:37, 13 June 2026 | Updated: 13:40, 13 June 2026 Every parent's worst nightmare came true for a family from New York after a 12-year-old boy met his tragic fate while on a class trip to the Poconos in Pennsylvania.  What was meant to be an exciting class trip has left a Hamptons family devastated after Cesar Albarracin Guncay, 12, died while rafting when his boat capsized.  Cesar had been on the inflatable raft on Leigh River with four others as he and his Pierson Middle School peers enjoyed the four-hour rafting excursion on May 27. However, excitement quickly dissipated as the groups of students from the Sag Harbor school reached a fork in the river where a tree had fallen across the right side of the waterway, creating a 'strainer.' The groups were told the steer clear of the tree but it proved challenging.  Students told the East Hampton Star that three of the four boats, all with adult chaperones onboard, were pulled off course by the strong currents and hit the tree.  Cesar had been onboard the second boat that was pulled toward the tree by the currents, along with a teacher, two boys and one girl, the outlet reported.  Their raft collided with the first boat, which was sent on down the river by the impact, but capsized sending everyone in the second boat into the water.  A Sag Harbor family have been left devastated after Cesar Albarracin Guncay, 12, died while rafting on a school trip Cesar had been on the inflatable raft on Leigh River with four others as he and his Pierson Middle School peers enjoyed the four-hour rafting excursion A tree caused many of the rafts to collide and capsize, sending students into the waters. Cesar went under the water but never resurfaced  As people surfaced, Cesar did not appear. A helmeted kayak guide that had safely taken the left side of the fork rushed back to help the group, but also fell into the waters.  'He hit his head going in,' an employee with Whitewater Rafting Adventures, which facilitated the rafting experience, told the outlet.  'He was trying to enter [the strainer] backwards, to get into the strainer to push the rafts out of the way,' she continued. 'He was knocked out and badly injured.' According to the Star, the children from the school in the ritzy Hamptons enclave, had not been wearing helmets.   Not long after the guide was also pulled underwater, another raft occupied by six girls and a teacher collided with the tree and capsized. Three girls were pulled under and had a 'near drowning experience,' one of the students' mothers told the outlet.  A fourth raft holding seven boys was also sucked into the right side of the fork and capsized.  As some of the children latched onto a nearby log, the chaotic scene saw guides 'digging' around the tree and searching frantically, with one suffering from cuts on his arms in the process, a witness told the Star.  Two students were seen helping their school peers to safety and onto other rafts before they were guided downstream to join other boaters.  The scene of the rafting accident on May 27 on the Leigh River in the Poconos in Pennsylvania  A helmeted kayak guide that had safely taken the left side of the fork rushed back to help the group, but also fell into the waters As they continued on and ended the trip on the river, some students had no idea that tragedy had struck and their classmate had never resurfaced.  Around 6pm, emergency responders with the Lehighton Fire Department's diving team pulled Cesar from the waters, according to the coroner's office. The sixth grader was pronounced dead by Carbon County chief deputy coroner Jason Smith just before 7pm. The children, who had departed their school at 6am that day, were piled onto a bus and returned home to their families at around 2am the following morning.  Brittany Carriero, the school principal, greeted the groups as they arrived and spoke to the children.  'Before the bus pulled up she was crying and kept saying, "I'm so sorry,'' a parent recalled to the outlet.  Sag Harbor Village police chief, Robert Drake, told the Star that the police department is 'working in coordination with the Sag Harbor School District and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as the investigation into the incident continues.' 'I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the student's family, the school community and all those affected by this unimaginable tragedy,' he added.  Emergency responders with the Lehighton Fire Department's diving team pulled Cesar from the waters and the sixth grader was pronounced dead  Cesar's friends and family gathered on June 3 to lay the young boy to rest and all wore blue to honor him. It was his favorite color Cesar's death was ruled as an accidental drowning, according to the coroner's office.  Hilary and Steve Bretzik, the owners of the rafting adventure company, said in a statement to the Star: 'Our entire team is heartbroken by what occurred, and our first concern is for the family and friends of our guest.' The couple added that their team is continuing to gather information on the incident and are cooperating with officials during the investigation.  In a letter to the school district, Sag Harbor Union Free School District Superintendent Jeff Nichols said: 'There are no words to adequately express the depth of this loss.' Nichols went on to describe the incident as 'devastating news' to parents and added: 'Cesar was a cherished member of our school family, a child who mattered deeply to all who had the privilege of knowing him. 'His absence will leave an irreplaceable space in our classrooms, our hallways and our lives.' Cesar's friends and family gathered on June 3 to lay the young boy to rest, as they dressed in blue, Cesar's favorite color, to honor him.  Ashley Buestan, Cesar's cousin, told Patch that their family felt 'it was really a color we all felt would represent him.' The children, who had departed Pierson Middle School (pictured) at 6am on the morning of May 27, were piled onto a bus and returned home to their families at around 2am on the following morning A GoFundMe described Cesar as a 'kind, handsome and athletic' sixth grader, as well as a 'friend to many and a beloved neighborhood kid here in Sag Harbor' The school is based in the ritzy Sag Harbor which is part of the Hamptons on Long Island, New York 'He really liked soccer. He was also a very creative little guy,' she continued. 'He had paintings and drawings everywhere.' Buestan said that Cesar loved to run, and was 'super, super, super fast- one of the top of his class,' and had a massive heart and adored animals.  'He loved taking care of my dogs. Anytime we went on trips, he would be [the] dog sitter,' she told the outlet, describing the loss of her cousin as profound. 'He was like my little brother. He lived with me for seven years,' she said, recalling how Cesar came to the US from Ecuador when he was about to turn seven years old.  'He was very funny, and he was identical to his dad - everyone would say they looked like twins,' Buestan continued.  Cesar's father, Cesar Albarracin, had moved to the United States when the boy was nearly two years old for financial reasons and the pair had reunited after six years apart, Cesar's mother Delia Guncay told Tu Prensa Local.  Cesar's cousin said the boy had been incredibly excited about the rafting trip, particularly because opportunities such as those weren't available to him in Ecuador.  'They don't have this type of stuff. So he loved trying new things, going on adventures. He loved amusement parks. Going on this trip, he was so excited - we were sitting in the car and ducks happened to pass in front of the car, and he said, "We're going to be late!" He was so excited to be going,' she recalled.  Buestan said Cesar's heartbroken parents, Cesar Albarracin and Delia Guncay, have felt immense support from the community after their son's death Cesar's cousin, Ashley Buestan, described him as 'very funny' and said he was very excited to go rafting on the trip Buestan said Cesar's parents are heartbroken but that the community has been a massive support to the family, including his teachers and school peers.  'They're all there for him - and for us, as well,' she told Patch. 'I would tell him that he was very loved, not just by me but by the community. And that he will always have a piece of my heart with him.' A GoFundMe to support his family has raised $253,000 as of Friday. The Daily Mail reached out to Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the Carbon County Coroner's Office, Lehighton Police Department, Lehighton Fire Department, Carbon County Sheriff's Office, Pierson Middle School, Sag Harbor Union Free School District and Superintendent Jeff Nichols, Sag Harbor Police Department, Whitewater Rafting Adventures and attempted to reach Cesar's family for further comment. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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