Girl, 9, killed by SUV was 'sweet child'

Jackeline Vilorio, a Rocky Point third-grader, loved the color pink and was looking forward to a weekend beach trip and her school's field day before her life was cut short.

She died Sunday, Suffolk police said, after she was struck while on a bicycle about 7:15 p.m. Friday by an SUV at Madison and Roosevelt streets in Rocky Point. She was pronounced dead at Stony Brook University Medical Center Sunday afternoon, officials said.

The driver of the SUV, Robert Dougherty, 20, also of Rocky Point, was not injured or charged in connection with the accident, the details of which remain under investigation, police said.

Friends and family gathered at Jackeline's home Monday to comfort her parents, who were too distraught to be interviewed. A utility pole at the site where Jackeline was struck has become a memorial, with balloons, a wooden cross graced with mourners' signatures and two of her favorite teddy bears strapped to it.

Jackeline, 9, attended Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School in Rocky Point. The school is planning a field day Tuesday. It is an event Jackeline was looking forward to, said her godsister and family friend Jennifer Romero.

"She was so excited for field day. She had her hat and her shirt ready. She was showing my cousin what she was going to wear," said Romero, 17.

Michael F. Ring, superintendent of the Rocky Point Union Free School District, issued a statement telling parents and students that the district is "terribly saddened" to learn of the girl's death.

Grief counselors were made available to students and staff Monday, a spokeswoman for the school district confirmed.

According to police, Vilorio was riding her bicycle east on Roosevelt Street when she was hit by the SUV. Dougherty was driving the 1990 Jeep south on Madison Street. The vehicle has been impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing, officials said.

Viewings will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at Rocky Point Funeral Home, 603 Route 25A in Rocky Point. A funeral Mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Friday at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 614 Route 25A, followed by a burial at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram.

The school district's PTA has set up an account in Jackeline's name for the family. Checks can be made out to Friends of Jackeline Vilorio and dropped off at the People's United Bank in Rocky Point or the school district.