Florida school shooting victim was former Woodcliff Lake resident

WOODCLIFF LAKE — Alyssa Alhadeff was the consummate teammate.

"What I remember about Alyssa is that while she scored a lot of goals in soccer, she was also always assisting," Jazzy Bachman, a 14-year-old Pascack Hills High School student, said through tears Thursday. "I think that reflects a lot on her life – she was just always helping people, always reaching out and always optimistic."

Alhadeff was one of 17 people killed Wednesday after a gunman went on a shooting rampage through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. She was 14 and a freshman at the school, according to news reports.

Woodcliff Lake school officials and a local Jewish organization, Valley Chabad, confirmed Thursday that Alhadeff and her family lived in town from about 2010 to 2014 before moving to Florida.

As news circulated of her death, the tight-knit community mourned the loss of a girl described as talented, kind and just had a spark about her.

Estie Orenstein, a leader of teen and youth programs at Valley Chabad, said Alhadeff and her two brothers attended programs run by the group, including summer camp, and remembered her as “sweet as anything.”

“She was one of those kids that’s always happy – during any trip, any activity – she was really special,” Orenstein said. “This is just heartbreaking – to have a teenager killed for no reason. It’s not fair.”

Orenstein said her husband, Yosef, immediately recognized the girl’s name when news of her death broke and began looking at old photos from her time at camp.

She was “always smiling, just an innocent little kid,” Orenstein said.

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Arielle Goldberg, 16, said she got to know Alhadeff through countless school bus rides, rounds of Monopoly and fort-making at the family's house, where she used to babysit the Alhadeff siblings.

"I always noticed her love for her brothers and a laughter they shared that was contagious," Goldberg said. "She was beautiful, charismatic and just had a light within her that was like no other. I'm lucky to have known her and will always remember her and the passion she shared for everyone around her, especially her family."

A mother's pain

As her friends grieved in New Jersey, Alhadeff's mother, Lori, took to social media and went on television to share her own pain.

Alyssa was a talented soccer player, smart and a gifted creative writer with an amazing personality, Lori Alhadeff wrote in a Facebook post. In an emotional interview with CNN, she called for action to end gun violence.

"I just spent the last two hours putting the burial arrangements [together] for my daughter's funeral," she said. "President Trump – please do something. Action! We need it now – these kids need safety now."

Woodcliff Lake Schools Superintendent Lauren Barbelet said Thursday that the news of the shooting and the death of a former Dorchester Elementary School student is “too much to bear.”

“The thoughts and prayers of our students, staff and community are with all those that have been affected by this terrible tragedy,” she said in a statement. “A former Woodcliff Lake family is grieving at this time. We grieve with this family and offer our love and support.”

The Woodcliff Lake school district sent a letter to parents informing them of the loss and said the district will have additional counseling services available for children.

Local leaders, including Mayor Carlos Rendo, also expressed their heartache.

“My prayers to former Woodcliff Lake resident Alyssa Alhadeff who lost her life in this senseless shooting,” Rendo said. “Woodcliff Lake and the country mourns for you.”

Email: nolan@northjersey.com