“You never think it could happen here.”: Bucks County after the tragedy from July

In a quiet county, 45 miles north of Philadelphia, four young men disappeared in early July.

According to 6ABC, 19-year-old Jimi Taro Patrick vanished from his home in Newtown, Pennsylvania on July 5.

Later that week, Dean Finocchiaro, 19 years old from Middletown Township, Mark Sturgis, 22 years old from Pennsburg, and Thomas Meo, 21 years old from Plumstead, also vanished.

6ABC reported after investigating the disappearances, police arrested Cosmo DiNardo, 20 years old from Bensalem. The Bucks County DA, Matthew Weintraub, identified DiNardo as a person of interest.  DiNardo later confessed to the four murders after human remains were found on his parents’ property.

On July 14, police arrested 20-year-old Sean Kratz, from Northeast Philadelphia, in connection to the murders.

The Bucks County community was shaken by the tragic events that lead to the deaths of four local young men.

A candlelit vigil was held at Garden of Reflection, a garden created in memory of the lives lost in 9/11 in Yardley, Pennsylvania, to honor the murder victims and enable the community to heal. Around 1,500 members of the community, gathered to pay respects and hear speeches from religious groups and songs from former The Voice contestant and Bucks County native, Matthew Shuler.

“It was beautifully put together,” Lisa Fioravanti, a family friend to the Finnochiaro family, said of the vigil. “It was pretty amazing. You just saw everybody coming in, and even people that didn’t know any of the victims were still so affected by this. Just to see the community come together like that was so heartwarming. It was a way for people to express how sorrowful they were. It was a great way to pull everybody together. I thought the community was tight-knit before, but after the murders you just see everybody coming together, especially at that vigil.”

Fioravanti has lived in Holland, Pennsylvania for 28 years and always felt extremely safe in the Bucks County town.

“I felt such disbelief because you always feel so safe and secure,” Fioravanti said. “You see things on T.V. and you never think it could happen here. Obviously, this could happen anywhere.”

According to Fioravanti, the families of the victims are pleased with the promise of the death penalty not being used in the prosecution of DiNardo and Kratz.

 “They put the death penalty off the table just so that the [DiNardo] family could get their boy home,” Fioravanti said. “I think that touched everyone’s heart. It was amazing how they all pulled together during a horrific time. They were strangers and they sort of became a family because they were mourning together.”

Fioravanti is not only pleased with how the vigil was put together, but also with how investigators handled a case as massive as this.

“Our DA Matt Weintraub was professional and compassionate throughout this investigation.” Fioravanti said. “I feel we are even more grateful now for our police force and first responders. Personally, I feel this whole team made our community sleep a little better at night knowing they are there.”

The vigil at Garden of Reflection was not the only event planned to honor the victims and benefit the families. JoJo’s Ice Cream & Water Ice, a family owned ice cream shop in Levittown, regularly hosts fundraisers for various charitable organizations. The business planned a fundraiser benefitting the families of the victims, but had to cancel due to the overwhelming response.

According to 6ABC, a fundraiser was held by the Elks Lodge in Bristol, Pennsylvania. The Elks Lodge sold hotdogs to raise money for the families. All of the supplies for the sale were donated by members of the community.The event was put together by Ismael Rivera.

JoJo’s is not the only ice cream store with intentions to memorialize the young men. Richman’s Ice Cream Company created a paper chain where employees and customers can write messages in honor of former employee Dean Finnochiaro.

Many members of the Bucks County community feel an overwhelming amount of shock.

“It’s hard to believe,” Marlene Steele, a lifelong Newtown resident said. “You don’t think something like this happens around you, but it happened four times. It’s hard to believe this happened to one person, let alone four. That’s just unheard of. It’s heart wrenching.”

Steele, like many other Bucks County residents, feels shocked that this tragedy could happen in their backyards.

“It’s not like you’re in Philly or L.A. with gangs or this or that,” Steele said. “You’re here, in the suburbs. I think a lot of people always think that this couldn’t happen to their kid, but now it just makes you think it could be your kid. People now realize it’s the kid next door, it’s your cousin, it’s your nephew, it’s your best friend’s kid. It could happen to anybody. I think that everybody needs to absorb that it happened right here, under our nose.”

Matthew Davis, a Holland, PA native and Temple University junior, feels strongly about this tragedy because the people involved were around the same age as him.

“I feel like it hits harder since they were so young,” Davis said. “It’s always more tragic when this happens to someone younger because they’ve barely started their lives and are so innocent. I feel that this is going to make me more careful in who to trust.”

Like Fioravanti and Steele, Davis feels this tragedy will bring the community together.

“I think this will make the community stronger and more connected.” Davis said. “It will make people more aware and look after their neighbors and family more carefully. Hopefully, this will make people care about the ones they love more.”

Another Temple University student and Newtown resident was unsettled by the tragic events that took place in Solebury Township.

“I felt devastated for the families of the victims,” Adam Slezak, a Temple University senior and Newtown native said. “They were too young to go out the way they did. I was especially surprised that this type of tragedy happened so close to home.”

Slezak is satisfied with the community’s response to the horrific events.

“On a positive note, I think this brought the community together,” Slezak said. “It showed that our community is here to support each other through the tough times. It’s difficult to move forward after something like this. Families’ lives are changed forever. The only way to move forward is to continue to show support for the families and to keep the victims in mind.”

Karly Farrell, an incoming Temple University transfer student and Newtown resident, described the tragedy as unbelievable. Farrell and Patrick were former classmates at Saint Andrew School, a Catholic elementary school in Newtown.

“It didn’t feel real,” Farrell said.

While the investigation was open, Farrell expected the four young men to be found safe.

“When I saw the news that the first body was discovered, my heart broke over the fact that this could happen in a place like Bucks County,” she said. “I barely ever hear of any level of crime here and this made national news. I think it’s important that we never forget everything that’s happened,  but learn from it and just be more aware of what’s going on in our own town.”

While members of the general public were devastated by this tragedy, the friends and family of the victims used social media as a tool to share information about the four young men.

Loralynn Ingreso, girlfriend of Meo, went to Facebook to share a touching tribute.

In a similar fashion, Jordan Higgins, the girlfriend of Patrick, shared a tribute to him on Instagram.

Family members of the young men also used social media to thank the Bucks County community for its response to the tragedy.

Rosanne Potash, the mother of Sturgis, used Facebook as an avenue to share how touched she was by how much everyone cared. In her Facebook post, Potash shared that she hopes justice for the four men is found in the court system.

Bonnie Finnochiaro, the mother of Dean Finnochiaro, also used Facebook to thank the Bucks County community. She also thanked the police and first responders that worked hard on this investigation. In her post, she also thanked NOVA, a network dedicated to helping victims of crimes.

While the majority of the Bucks County community is devastated by the events that took place on a farm in early July, people have come together in support of the victims and their families.

“I’m sure we’ll move forward, but it’ll never be forgotten,” Fioravanti said. “It’ll always be somewhere in everyone’s hearts.”