ELLENVILLE, N.Y. — A Wawarsing teen died Thursday in a motorcycle crash just days after graduating from Ellenville High School, according to state police and school district officials.

State Police Spokesperson Beau Duffy said Friday that Ryan Conklin, 18, was operating his 2024 Yamaha Chappy motorcycle west on state Route 52 at approximately 7:19 p.m. Thursday, July 2, when he lost control of the vehicle, crossed the center line and struck a car head-on.

Conklin was declared dead at the scene, Duffy said.

The driver and one passenger in the car were treated for minor injuries, Duffy added.

No tickets were issued by police, according to Duffy.

Conklin was a member of this year’s Ellenville High School graduating class. The commencement ceremony took place Friday, June 26.

The Rev. Julius Collins, a member of the Ellenville Board of Education, said Friday that Conklin had participated in leading the pledge to the flag during the commencement ceremony.

“We set up a crisis team in the school library … until about 2 o’clock today,” he said, “and I’m sure that if it requires more, they’ll do more.”

“We just had graduation, and he was one of the ones who led the Pledge of Allegiance,” Collins added. “There were four young men who were about to go into the service, and he was one of those.”

Collins also said Conklin had been friends with his granddaughter and could get along with people without becoming involved with problems.

“He was a good kid who worked his way through school, a friendly kid … who blended with (groups) without getting involved in more than he could handle,” Collins said. “He showed himself to be an outstanding young man.”

Ellenville Mayor Evan Trent, who works for the school district, said the accident is deeply affecting the close-knit community.

“It’s really a tragic loss,” he said. “Ellenville is a community that raises our kids together, so there’s a lot of grieving families.”

Conklin was a student-athlete at Ellenville High, playing for the varsity football and baseball teams. He was a Freeman honorable mention in football for the 2024 season.

Editor’s note: This story was amended July 3, 2026, at 2:05 p.m. with additional information.