The crash happened around 12:45 a.m., according to a New York State Police report, at the intersection of McKenzie Pond Road and Beaver Pond Way on the Saranac Lake side of the town of North Elba. Also in the car with Lucas, who was driving, were Jonah River Whiting, 16, and Ryan Bonet, 16.

As of Tuesday, Whiting — who was riding in the passenger seat at the time of the crash — was in highly critical condition at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont. Whiting’s mother, Heather Robinson, said Jonah sustained severe brain trauma from the impact.

Bonet left the hospital on Monday after recovering from internal injuries. Julissa Justiz Silva, Bonet’s mother, said he suffered from a brain bleed and seizures while in the hospital.

Lucas was a homeschooled student along with Whiting, and Bonet is a Saranac Lake High School student.

Lucas’s mother, Rebecca Tendler, said that Lucas had been driving that night at an unsafe speed — a mistake drivers often make whether they’re new or experienced. There was no alcohol involved that night, according to Rebecca. Lucas was just an inexperienced driver speeding down a fun road, she said.

“It was a terrible tragedy that could happen to anyone, and it happened to these three boys,” she said. “And it cost Lucas’s life.”

Rebecca wants other drivers in the community — especially new teen drivers — to learn from Friday’s crash and watch their speed.

“This can happen to any of you guys,” she said. “And we love all of you, and you guys all deserve to be here.”

Few details about the crash have been released by local and state police, fire departments and ambulance services, though it’s clear that Lucas’s car crashed into a large tree. The tree was wrapped in burlap on Tuesday, and mourners had begun to leave bouquets of flowers around the tree’s trunk.

The crash is still under investigation by New York State Police. Rebecca said she was hoping to get some more answers about what happened from State Police on Tuesday.

In addition to his mother, Lucas leaves behind his father, Jacob, his older brother, Noah, and his dog Johnny, among other family members.

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“Loo”

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Rebecca said Lucas was wise beyond his years. His parents knew that he was an old soul by the time he was 2 years old — there was a feeling that his soul had “been around” for thousands of years, Rebecca said.

Lucas was a lifelong empath. He was always tuned in to people’s feelings and needs, and he was a great listener — the friend that everybody went to for advice. He was the first to bow out of an argument, even when he was right, and he was the first to introduce himself to the new kid in town to make them feel more welcome.

“He could always tell who was struggling,” Rebecca said.

Lucas wasn’t afraid to tell people he loved them, whether they were his guy friends or his mom. Lucas was a “cuddly guy” from birth, Rebecca said, and he hugged his mom every day. He called her “Madre.”

“I love you, Madre,” he’d say.

Lucas and his brother Noah were 16 months apart and “thick as thieves,” Rebecca said — siblings that truly got along. Lucas also had his friend group — “the boys” — but he easily made friends with everybody, from toddlers to older folks.

Lucas entered the workforce at a young age and last held two part-time jobs at the Hotel Saranac and the Ampersand Bay Resort. Bayle Reichert, a supervisor at Ampersand Bay Resort, said that Lucas made a big impact on the resort’s staff during his brief stint at the resort. He was positive, outgoing and a fast learner who was well-liked among staff and guests alike.

“I only heard good things,” Reichert said.

Rebecca said Lucas was known to come home from work with $100 tips from elderly guests.

Lucas also used his love of mechanics and technology to become a young entrepreneur. An avid gamer, Lucas built his own PC and built PCs to sell to others. Last year, a 16-year-old Lucas started an online business selling environmentally-friendly products, working with vendors and meeting with executives to bring his business to fruition. He didn’t sell anything, Rebecca said, but he didn’t mind — Lucas was in it for the learning experience. Lucas loved learning, and he was “super smart,” Rebecca said.

“He was just so ready for life. He was so ready,” Rebecca said. “And he lived it. He lived it fully, every day.”

Lucas went to school in the Lake Placid Central School District before switching to homeschooling during the pandemic. Lake Placid Middle-High School Principal Theresa Lindsay remembered Lucas as “amazingly bright” and articulate with a creative side. She said he was a strong writer, an introspective and kind kid with a keen sense of fashion.

“He always had a smile on his face and a warm hello,” she said.

Lucas graduated from high school this past spring — a year early — and he was set to go to North Country Community College this fall with a goal of ending up at the City College of New York in Manhattan. He wanted to study mechanical engineering.

Lucas and Noah watched their mom graduate from NCCC this past May with an associate degree in environmental studies. Rebecca said Lucas inspired her to go back to school. She’s planning to go to Paul Smith’s College to continue her education this fall, and she’s been hearing a strong message from Lucas since his passing: “Mom, keep doing what you were going to do.”

“I keep hearing, ‘You’ve gotta go, Mom, you’ve got to keep doing that,'” Rebecca said.

Rebecca and Lucas bonded over a shared love of nature and the environment. Lucas was an avid skier and hiker. He and his mom had plans to hike the Cranberry 50 this year, and Lucas had a long-term goal of hiking the Appalachian Trail.

There was only one negative thing to be said about Lucas, Rebecca said, though she thinks of it as funny now: Lucas was a “slob.” While Noah and Rebecca kept their spaces tidy, Lucas’s room was an “explosion.”

Lucas went camping with a friend last week, and he left his camping gear laying on the floor of his mom’s house for days after. Rebecca said she learned to joke about his messiness rather than get angry about it.

“‘Oh, this backpack and all these things match the carpet so well,'” she remembered telling Lucas as the days passed and his items remained.

“I know, Mom, I’ll pick it up soon,” Lucas said.

His backpack is still laying on the floor, Rebecca said on Tuesday.

The question on people’s minds right now, Rebecca said, is “Why Lucas?”

“He was really going somewhere,” Rebecca said.

While he was here, Lucas made a positive impact on everyone he met. He viewed life with hope and a “let it be” attitude. He often said “everything’s gonna be ‘aight.'” A political young man, Lucas saw the bad in the world. But he was determined to make it good.

“‘Don’t worry,'” Rebecca recalled Lucas saying to her. “‘I’m going to do something, Mom. I’m gonna change the world.'”

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Community support

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Since Friday’s crash, the Saranac Lake, Lake Placid and surrounding communities have rallied support for the families of the three boys involved. Friends and family have started GoFundMe fundraisers for Lucas’s funeral expenses and to support Jonah’s family as they stay by his side while he’s in critical condition. Together, all of the fundraisers have raised tens of thousands of dollars.

To donate to the GoFundMe fundraiser for Lucas’s funeral expenses, tinyurl.com/4hxhweh9. To donate to the GoFundMe for Whiting’s family, visit tinyurl.com/2dssvd4f or tinyurl.com/yxcud2fv.

Robinson said Jonah has received “excellent care” at both UVM and Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, where Whiting and Bonet were stabilized before being transported to UVM. Robinson is a nurse at AMC, and she said hospital staff there have shown nothing but the “utmost love and support” during this difficult time.

“They all watched Jonah grow up,” she wrote in a message.

Immediate care — especially when there’s brain trauma involved — is “everything,” Robinson said. She credited a resident along McKenzie Pond Road, who was woken up by the sound of the crash, for reporting the accident quickly.

As Jonah remains in critical condition, Robinson asked the community to keep praying and sending love his way.

“The ripple effect that this has had in the community, has been extraordinary,” she wrote. “The outreach of love, support and prayer is helping to hold us up and aid Jonah (through) the critical window he is in.”

And while Bonet is in stable physical condition, Silva said, he’s now working through the pain of losing a best friend. The three boys were a tight-knit trio.

“They were always together, talking to one another if not together,” Robinson wrote. “I genuinely believe they just wanted to hang out (that night), go for a cruise and just be present in the moment of their lives.”