A ‘joy-filled’ 18-year-old died today after being assaulted on his way home from a school prom on Friday.
At about 11.20 p.m., Kajetan Migdal was fatally injured in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.
He was brought to the Lister Hospital, but he died early Saturday morning.
On suspicion of murder, an 18-year-old has been apprehended.
Corrie Everett, Kajetan’s aunt from Texas, has started a GoFundMe campaign in his honor to gather money for his burial and travel expenses.
Nearly $13,000 (£10,300) has so far been pledged.
Ms Everett wrote: ‘As a family, we are in complete shock and devastated at this huge loss. He had his whole life ahead of him and an exciting summer planned.
‘He leaves behind his parents (my sister Gemma and her husband Janusz), along with his younger brother Fabian and our extended family across the globe.’
She added, in a statement from their family: ‘Kajetan was a loving, joy-filled young man with a bright future. He was known for his love of dance, animals, hard work and caring friendships.
As a high achiever academically and in his hobbies, he was set for big things. He had just finished school and had his life to look forward to. The entire family is devastated at the loss of a much-loved family member, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
‘Several people have reached out to ask how they can help, so I have set up this GoFundMe on my sister’s behalf to help relieve some of the pressure at this difficult time.
‘We have family dotted around the UK. Our uncle is based in Menorca and all of Kajetan’s Polish family are based in Poland.
We would like get everyone together to support my sister, her husband and younger son and give Kajetan the funeral he deserves.
‘All money raised will go towards travel and funeral expenses for our family.’
Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: ‘Although an arrest has been made, we are continuing to pursue a number of lines of enquiry and are still appealing for witnesses or anyone with information about what happened to contact us.
‘I’d like to thank those who have come forward so far.
‘Extensive enquiries are being carried out to help establish the sequence of events before and after the fatal incident. Specialist officers are supporting the victim’s family and we ask that their privacy be respected at this time.’
Anyone who believes they witnessed the incident, or believes they may have dashcam footage, is asked to contact police via the non-emergency number, 101 citing reference 948 of 27 May.