The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of 19-year-old Cadet Mike Grajales, who died following a motorcycle crash in Boynton Beach, as confirmed by the Sheriff's Office. Grajales, who worked in the Training Division, Field Training Unit, was involved in an accident last Friday at approximately 6:30 p.m., on North Congress Avenue, where according to the WPBF report, he collided with a vehicle while attempting to take evasive action when the driver attempted a left turn onto southbound Congress Avenue.
Tributes and sentiments have been pouring in for the late cadet, who graduated from Santaluces High School. “His dedication and bright spirit will never be forgotten," the Sheriff's Office stated in homage. Friends and relatives gathered to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial near the crash site, as one friend and former classmate who shared Grajales's passion for motorcycles lamented, "We were always together. Me and him were like riding buddies. It sucks that he's gone," the friend recalled in his interview with WPBF.
Installed at the scene of the accident was a temporary memorial where mourners placed photos and shared memories of Grajales' life. According to his family's statement obtained by CBS12 News, his brother described him as "Loved by many people. It’s so interesting because with our family, he was a man of few words, so stoic and poised. Now I find out, he wasn’t just a goofball with me, he was a goofball with everybody around him,” his brother said.
To honor Mike, his brother Oscar intends to carry forth a philosophy Mike held dear, signified through a tattoo, symbolizing the uncertain ticking of life's clock, “We always have our eye on the time, and we never know when it’s going to stop,” a quote Mike held close to heart. As the Boynton Beach Police Department's investigation into the tragic event continues, the Grajales family is preparing to host a memorial service to celebrate Mike's life, which will be held at Serenity Funeral Home in North Lauderdale, as detailed in the CBS12 News release.
