It was hard to find a dry eye inside of St. Elizabeth's - a place full of emotions for a life cut so short. The church pews inside the Ridgewood sanctuary were packed to its capacity Thursday night. "My heart aches for his family," said one town mourner. As hundreds of people came together to remember the life of one...Tyler Clementi..right here in his hometown.
The Rutgers University freshman jumped to his death from the G-W bridge after his roomate and another student streamed video on the web of Clementi having a sexual encounter with another man.
His classmates still hurting.
"The lack of answer made me feel lost," one of Clementi's classmates.
The vigil, put on by the Garden State Equality - New Jersey's largest L-G-B-T civil rights organization - created a platform for other students who have been bullied in the past as well.
Many of them like Daniel Jacobson, of Jackson,choosing to speak out.
"Well, I think its very tragic that a teen would be driven at the age of 18 to commit suicide and feel that there is no option," said Daniel Jacobson.
The vigil also comes on a day Clementi's school - Rutgers University - was subpoenaed by prosecutors who want to see emails that may provide information showing Clementi might have complained about being bullied.
An attorney we spoke with tells News 4 the school's communication or lack thereof...could prove to be damaging.
"It's looking to see what the university knew and when and therefore do they have some involvement or responsibility that's worth pursuing," said attorney Michael Cornacchia.
The two students accused of the thoughtless act have been charged with invasion of privacy though hate crime offenses are not ruled out.
Daniel's father, Barry, giving advice to parents...
"They do not tell their parents, they do not tell anyone. So the parents have to be cautious. They have to watch," said Barry Jacobson.
Organizers say their hope is that the entire country will learn a lesson from this latest tragedy so something like this never happens again.
