Three people have been named as victims of an explosive car crash that killed six people in New Jersey, according to police and school officials.
The vehicle had been traveling toward the Route 1 and 9 southbound on-ramp in Newark late Friday night when it veered off the road, flew up in the air, and struck a support column for the Pulaski Skyway, said the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
As the car crashed into the ground it caught ablaze, killing all six people inside it, said officials.
The victims included two brothers named Darryl McKnight, 33, a recently appointed state counselor, and Lamar McKnight, 32, a Hudson Catholic Regional High School football coach – as identified by their mother, Natasha McKnight, of Jersey City, to CBS News.
She told the outlet: “Because I check my kids’ location all day, all night, every day and those two never turn them off. So when I noticed that, I looked up one of them and the other one’s phone was right next to his, and it was there for too many hours, so I started to worry.”
It was only when she looked on social media and saw her sons’ burnt-out car bumper online that she was able to identify them as the victims in the car.
Brad Cunningham, a man who also worked for Rutgers football program was also identified as one of the victims by a high school official.
Police are yet to formally identify the victims, as of Monday.
Rutgers Football Head Coach Greg Schiano wrote a statement on X that read: “We are saddened to hear of an accident involving Brad Cunningham, Coach McKnight and four others last night.
“Brad Cunningham, member of our first recruiting class, laid the foundation of the Rutgers football program. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brad’s family and the entire Hudson Catholic football family.”
The Independent contacted the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office who refused to reveal the identities of the victims at this time but said they would be holding a press conference on Monday afternoon.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy issued a statement of condolence to Senator Angela V. McKnight and her husband – as he is reportedly a cousin to two of the victims who died in the crash.
Murphy wrote on X: “Tammy and I are keeping the McKnight and Cunningham families and all affected by this tragedy in our prayers.”
The Medical Examiner and police officials are still seeking identification for the remains by scanning the dental records of the victims, said Natasha McKnight to CBS.
The other three victims’ identities remain unclear.
