BRICK – A candlelit vigil will be held to pay respects to a teenager who was lost in a hit-and-run crash.
The student, referred to as Jackson Mueller in news articles, was described as a smart and outgoing 15-year-old by the creator of a GoFundMe.
“On Tuesday, May 19th at 6:50 a.m. a beautiful life was tragically taken. Jackson was a thriving, outgoing, smart 15-year-old boy,” said Chrissie Arif in the GoFundMe. It reached $36,000 in four hours. “I ask you to please donate to help his parents cover the cost to bury their son.”
A candlelit vigil to remember Jackson will be held in the front parking lot of Brick Memorial High School on May 20 at 7 p.m. Police asked everyone to use the parking lots of the school and not to park on the shoulder in front of the school for safety purposes.
The vigil was originally planned for the intersection of Lanes Mill Road and California Avenue, but once it seemed like a large crowd was going to attend, the site was changed to the school.
Jackson had been riding his bicycle at around 6:50 a.m. on May 19, likely on his way to school, when the crash took place at the intersection of Lanes Mill Road and Rhode Island Avenue.
According to the officials, police responding to the scene found a juvenile bicyclist who had been hit by a vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said investigators later determined that a 2021 BMW traveling northbound on Lanes Mill Road at a high rate of speed struck the bicyclist, who was riding westbound on Rhode Island Avenue through a marked crosswalk.
Authorities said the juvenile driver left the scene without stopping to render aid or contact police. The driver was later taken into custody and charged with knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash resulting in death. Authorities said the suspect is being held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center.
School officials said grief counseling and support services are being made available for students and staff.
“This morning there was an accident that resulted in a tragedy for Brick Schools. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the student,” the district said after the crash. “This is an incredibly sad and tragic event for our community and we need to support one another during this difficult time.”
Under New Jersey law, additional information about juveniles charged with delinquent acts cannot be released. Charges are merely accusations until proven in a court of law.
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