NORTHAMPTON — Six months after 19-year-old Jesse Johansmeyer of Florence was killed when he was struck by a pickup truck at a bonfire party in Hatfield, his family is still waiting for an arrest to be made in the case.
“We’re just so frustrated,” mother Darlene Thorpe said this week. “This was devastating for us, life-altering. It’s taken away my younger son’s life, and the people responsible have been allowed to go on with their lives like nothing has happened.”
First Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Steve Gagne said he sympathizes with the family’s frustration.
“We are methodically investigating this case and are confident that we have made significant progress in the six months since Jesse died,” Gagne said Tuesday afternoon. “We have endeavored to keep the family apprised of any and all developments.”
State Police detectives assigned to the district attorney’s office are leading the investigation in partnership with Hatfield Police. The work has involved numerous interviews, tracking down of leads, and processing evidence at the State Police Crime Laboratory, all of which takes time, Gagne said.
“It’s our utmost concern that the investigation is thorough and that every stone is turned,” he said.
Gagne declined to specify if investigators had encountered any particular difficulties, though he acknowledged that some leads had turned into blind alleys.
Johansmeyer was at a bonfire in the Hatfield meadows near the Connecticut River when he was hit by a vehicle that drove away around 11:30 p.m. March 24. Others at the party called 911 and tried to help him, but he died at Baystate Medical Center early the next morning.
“It’s impacted every aspect of our lives,” Thorpe said, taking a toll mentally and physically. She, older son Jeb, daughter Willow and her son-in-law all went to trauma therapy.
Without charges being brought, Thorpe said, “we’ve not been able to fully grieve.”
A 2022 graduate of Northampton High School, Johansmeyer was remembered by friends and classmates as warm and humorous, someone who liked sports and the outdoors and who put a smile on other people’s faces. A vigil at Childs Park on March 31 drew more than 200 current and former NHS students. He played hockey and lacrosse during his time at NHS and was known for performing stunts like cliff diving and backflips.
A celebration of his life May 13 in Hadley included several events — lawn games such as cornhole and soccer, as well as a contingent of motorcycle riders — that honored his life and personality. Raffle baskets featuring different things he enjoyed, such as sports, car detailing and rock climbing, were given out during the event.
Flyers and T-shirts for the event captured the overall theme, with interlocking lacrosse and hockey sticks, the two sports Johansmeyer played.
At the May 13 gathering, Willow Vandoloski, Johansmeyer’s sister, called her brother “extraordinary.”
“He was a better person in his 19 short years than most of us will be in our entire lifetimes,” she said. “He was the best friend anyone could ask for, a caring son, and a trustworthy and dependable brother.”
James Pentland can be reached at jpentland@gazettenet.com.