The Linden community is mourning the loss of Ariel Rivas Rosado, a fifth grader at School No. 4.

Rivas is the son of Linden Board of Education member Dayanara Rosado Quezada and Carlos Rivas, a newly elected 5th Ward council member in Linden.

Rocco G. Tomazic, the interim superintendent of Linden’s schools, wrote a statement calling the death “tragic” and said “we are all devastated by this news.”

“When such an unspeakable tragedy occurs, we all come together to offer support to the family and to give comfort to each other,” Tomazic posted. “Each of our students is precious beyond words. This loss impacts us all.”

Derek Armstead, the mayor of Linden, wrote in a Facebook post that Rivas became the shining star of the Mayor’s Youth Commission Dine to Fundraiser for the Liden High School Class of 2023.

“Ariel was full of life, happy, respectful, sweet, and kind. At his young age he loved helping out,” Armstead posted.

Tomazic says the district has activated its crisis response plan. Grief counselors will be available at School No. 4 on Monday to help students and staff cope with the loss of Rivas. Counselors will also be available at McManus Middle School where Rivas' sister attends school.

Tomazic says he and Armstead will work together with the district to help collectively get through the tragedy.

Armstead posted a visitation for Rivas will be held Friday, Feb. 17, from 5-9 p.m. at Krowicki McCracken Funeral Home in Linden. The funeral will be held there Saturday, Feb. 18 at 8:30 a.m. with a 10 a.m. Mass at St. Elizabeth Roman Catholic Church in Linden followed by interment at St. Gertrude Cemetery in Colonia. Friends and families are invited to the repast, which will be held at noon at the John T Gregorio Center.

Friends of Rivas posted a GoFundMe at: https://gofund.me/7fb1aac8.

A cause of death was not immediately known.