A high school senior from Millinocket died after crashing into a moose shortly after midnight Tuesday.
Landon Gardner, 17, hit a moose with his vehicle, which then left Poplar Street in T3 Indian Purchase and went into trees, where Gardner was found deceased, said Shannon Moss of the Maine Department of Public Safety.
The moose was dead in the center of the road when police arrived.
Being outside, whether it was fishing or snowmobiling, was Gardner’s favorite place to be, his mom Miranda Mills said. He would find time to fish before and after work at the Katahdin General Store in Millinocket. He loved to go with his cousin and best friend, Brayden McLaughlin.
“He was an American boy — he was all boy,” uncle Mark Boynton said.
He always had a large, cheeky smile on his face, Mills said. Whenever he got mad, it would last for a couple seconds and he’d be right back to smiling.
Welding became another passion for Gardner after he joined Northern Penobscot Tech Region III during his junior year. He knew he wanted to be a welder after he graduated high school in 2025, Mills said.
Gardner had bought his first car about a month ago, Mills said. He was mechanically inclined from a young age and he was working on fixing up a four-wheeler, Charette said.
Growing up, Gardner and his older sister, Rhiannon Gardner, 19, would bicker like siblings do, but as they both got older it turned into a true friendship, she said.
“We shared a bond through music, or we had close friends because we were so close in age,” Rhiannon Gardner said. “He was always just a happy person. He knew how to make the best out of situations.”
His friends said he was always making them laugh, either with him or at him, Rhiannon Gardner said. He had a big heart and would drop everything to help people when they needed it.
The Millinocket community has rallied around the family, bringing them food and offering support.
“It’s just the amount of support that everybody has already shown us and continues to do so,” Charette said. “It’s nothing shy of amazing. It’s very overwhelming, no matter how you look at it. The community has really come together far and wide.”
Stearns Junior and Senior High School opened its gym for students and staff to gather the day after Gardner’s death so they could mourn together and meet with counselors.