Community Rallying To Honor Vernon Crash Victim

VERNON, CT — The community is rallying to honor the legacy of popular Vernon soccer coach Andrew Aggarwala, the man killed in a hit-and-run crash a week ago.

Tributes and fund-raising efforts began to emerge over the weekend.

"We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and care we have received in the wake of our incalculable loss," the family said through the Vernon Soccer Club, where Aggarwala coached. "Contemplating life without Andrew feels impossible, but we know that the love that we feel from everyone who cared about him will sustain us. Thank you to all of you for looking for ways to honor Andy's life."

A Go-Fun-Me campaign was posted over the weekend and, as if Tuesday afternoon, pledges totaled $5,895 with a $25,000 goal. A total of 70 people had pledged. Click here to access the page.

The family said donations in his memory can be given to the Vernon Soccer Club, Doctors Without Borders, and the Hockanum Valley Community Council Food Pantry and CT Dog Gone Recovery .

"Andy believed passionately in supporting his friends and neighbors," the family said.

An arrest was made Monday night in relation to the crash. See the details here.

Aggarwala moved to the area to follow his passion — aerospace. He earned related degrees at Cornell and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the White Plains, NY native made a career at Pratt & Whitney. At Pratt, he was the manager of the Turbine Aerodynamics Group at the time of his death.

In his time at Pratt, he played a "significant role" in the development of the PW1100 geared turbofan and the F135 engine that helped propel the game-changing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

Aggarwala was credited with 28 patents and earned his pilot's license. He was a frequent presenter at meetings of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and mentored more than 100 engineers who passed through his team.

He was a youth coach, field director and board member at Vernon Soccer. He was scheduled to receive the VSC's Volunteer of the Year award.

Services for Aggarwala will be private. His full obituary can be found here.