A high school student’s life has been shattered after her almost entire family perished in a private plane crash in New York on Saturday. Anika Groff luckily survived as she was not on the doomed aircraft that crashed Copake, near the Massachusetts state line, killing her parents—neuroscientist Michael Groff and urogynecologist Joy Saini.
Her two older siblings, Karenna Groff and Jared Groff were also on the ill-fated flight and were killed alongside her parents. Anika, now the only surviving member of the family, is from the same Massachusetts school where her elder siblings has studies, according to a statement from the Weston school district, obtained by the Daily Mail.
Left Alone to Mourn
Also killed in the tragic accident were Karenna’s boyfriend, James Santoro, and Jared’s partner, Alexia Couyutas Duartem. The Weston, Massachusetts, school district, where Anika and her siblings were a student issued a statement following the crash.
“Two of our graduates, Karenna Groff (2018) and Jared Groff (2017), their parents, and several friends were killed in a small plane crash in New York yesterday,” the statement read.
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It continued: “Their lives ended far too soon, and our hearts are with all those who are grieving this unimaginable and sudden loss.
“Out of respect for the family and especially for our student who is grieving the loss of her loved ones, we ask that all members of our community honor their privacy during this deeply personal time. Our role as a school community is to surround them with quiet care, compassion, and space to heal.”
Karenna Groff and James Santoro, who had graduated from MIT, were shaping their careers in New York City. While Karenna was studying medicine, Santoro was trying his career in finance. The two were also planning to get engaged this summer.
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“They were a wonderful family. The world lost a lot of very good people who were going to do a lot of good for the world if they had the opportunity,” said John Santoro, James’ father.
“We’re all personally devastated.”
Almost entire Family Perishes
The Groffs were an affluent family, with Michael Groff being an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. He was also an experienced pilot and was the executive director of neuroscience at Rochester Regional Health.
He met future wife Joy Saini, who was the founder of Boston Pelvic Health and Wellness, while she was studying medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, according to a family statement. Michael’s son Jared and his partner Couyutas Duartem also graduated from Swarthmore College, and were working as paralegals.
Swarthmore College said that Jared was planning to start a law school in the fall.
Anika, according to the family statement, was also accepted to Swarthmore like her elder brother and father. However, she, decided to attend the University of North Carolina.
