Community holds vigil honoring the life of 15-year-old Hermitage High School student

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Heavy hearts were felt in Henrico County on Thursday, Sept. 12, as family, friends and teachers came together to honor the life of Nathaniel Clark, Jr., a 15-year-old student killed on Sunday, Sept. 8.

Community members met at Hermitage High School — where Clark was a student — for a prayer vigil.

The football stadium at Hermitage High School was filled with an indescribable sadness. There were about one hundred people filling the bleachers during the Thursday evening vigil — where Clark’s family, classmates, teachers and so many people who knew him supported each other as they shared memories of him.

The feeling of heartbreak was widespread for all those who knew and loved 15-year-old Nathaniel Clark Jr. An outpouring of classmates and community members filled the stands of hermitage high school’s football field Thursday night to honor the young life.

Kiara Williams was Clark’s teacher for the ninth and tenth grade. She says that what she saw on Thursday was exactly what Clark would have wanted to see from the people who love him.

“Community, I feel like everybody has literally rallied around everybody trying to be there, whether it’s a text call or a hug in the hallway with the kids or another teacher,” WIlliams said. “But I would definitely say with Dr. Jack to say a community.”

Many family members and friends who were present for Thursday’s vigil say the last time they saw Clark was in the stadium for Hermitage’s football game on Friday, Sept. 6.

Tragically, days later, they say the next time they heard his name was when they learned about the accident that took his life.

The fatal crash happened on Staples Mill Road near Hungary Spring Road shortly after 8 p.m. on the night of Sunday, Sept. 8. According to Clark’s mother, he was on his way home from his new job that was nearby. A growing roadside memorial now stands as a reminder of a crash that took someone who meant everything to so many. And unfortunately, it is not the first time.

“No child should lose their life. I mean, he was only 15 years old,” Williams said.

Clark’s untimely death comes at a time when the community is also preparing for the one-year anniversary of the death of another young Hermitage High School student. Fourteen-year-old Keyon Johnson was also killed in a crash that happened in October 2023.

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