By Christian Cordeiro, Special to the Neighb News
Hello, my name is Christian Cordeiro. I am a freshman at Roger Williams University pursuing a dual major in criminal justice and psychology. I was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and grew up in the Greater New Bedford Area. I attended Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School, where I met some of my closest friends from the towns of Dartmouth, New Bedford, and Fairhaven. One of these friends, who bred countless memories, was a part of this very community.
I would like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Marin Celia Stackpole. I met Marin during my freshman year of high school, her eighth-grade year. She was a resident of Fairhaven and was the life-of-the-party type of friend, always finding enjoyment in the most menial of things. She always dressed for the occasion, whether it was a Red Sox game, a dinner, or just going to a friend’s house. The one constant with her outfits was a set of nails done by her friend Joebaliet, and occasionally a walking boot. The design would change from set to set, but the color complemented the current season, creating a sort of radiance about them.
Following her middle school graduation, she began her high school career with me at GNB Voc-Tech where we grew extremely close.
Where she lived, on a street adjacent to Route 6 in Fairhaven, multiple spots lack infrastructure. There are only a handful of street lights and minimal speed limit enforcement. The speeds are between 35 to 45 miles per hour, which people rarely obey. This road fills one with anxiety on every turn.
Often, when driving this road, I imagine someone could be driving civilly, safely, and have everything ripped away from them by an ignorant driver. I always knew it was a possibility, but I did not think it would affect me personally.
Marin got her license this past year and immediately took to the roads. Having a car gives a teenager a sort of freedom like no other. The ability to go wherever you want, whenever you want, with parental approval, of course. I trained to be a mechanic at GNB Voc-Tech, and have seen my fair share of accidents. Even though Marin weighed the risks of driving, there was still everything to lose.
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- L-R: The author, Christian Cordeiro, at his graduation from Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School on 6/6/25, poses with his close friend, Marin Stackpole, 17, who was killed in a car crash on 7/5/25. Submitted photo.
It was around 9:40 at night on July 5th, 2025. I had just gotten home from a graduation party for the past three days. I had just gotten off the phone with Marin around 8:45. She told me she was heading home from Fort Phoenix, where she had just watched the sunset, where she always watched the sunset.
As I start getting comfortable in my bed, I see a text from an old teammate of mine asking if I had heard about Marin. I thought he was going to tell me something pointless, so I didn’t pay it much mind. In fact, it was not pointless at all.
It felt as though the world stopped spinning. Pacing around my room, I was trying to hold onto the little bit of hope I had. There is no way this could happen to someone so pure, I thought to myself. In the end, none of it mattered. At 9:13 PM, on July 5th, 2025, Marin Stackpole was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, on that dark raceway that always lingered in my mind.
Imagine having such a consistent part of your day, something you looked forward to daily, ripped away from you in a single moment. To this day, I still have the instinct to text or call Marin about things I knew she’d find enjoyable or funny.
The accident occurred a street away from where she lived; she was involved in an accident with a truck in a residential area with no streetlights, no stoplights, and a 45-mile-per-hour speed limit. Good people, like Marin, drove and walked those streets with cars coming at near freeway speeds, unintentionally putting their lives at risk.
Although I am speaking passionately on this topic, I can’t help admit my ignorance of the situation. I have sped on this road unintentionally, like many others.
I never realized the implications of my actions.
As a community, we need to change the way we view and drive these roads until there is a solution.
Currently, the town of Fairhaven is discussing potential improvements to the situation along Route 6, but no action has been taken. Marin’s death should not be in vain. If nothing is done, your best friend, your loved one, could be next.
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