The Canisius High School community is mourning the tragic loss of a beloved former student. School officials said 20-year-old Matthew Mayer died in a car crash on Monday.
In a statement, Canisius High School President Fr. David Ciancimino said:
“Matt was much beloved at Canisius by faculty, coaches, and classmates alike.He was an excellent student and a fine athlete. Though quiet by nature, he had a wonderful sense of humor and a great smile.Above all, Matt was a genuinely kind and remarkable young man. He embodied the high ideals of his Jesuit education. He will be remembered with great affection and will be deeply missed. Our hearts ache for his family.”
School officials said that at CHS, Mayer was a member of the soccer team and was inducted into Canisius’ Robert Bellarmine Chapter of the National Honor Society. He was an All-Western New York Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention for Fall 2023.
Amherst police have identified Mayer as the driver of the vehicle that crashed into the building at 784 Wehrle Drive early Monday morning. Police said around 3 a.m. Mayer was driving north on Union Road, left the road, struck a utility pole, then continued north and struck the building. According to police, the vehicle rolled onto its passenger side and came to rest inside the building, and then the vehicle and building caught on fire…