The scene of a deadly car accident in Toms River, Nov. 11, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The scene of a deadly and shocking car accident which cost two young Toms River residents their lives remained behind police tape on Monday as the building began to become a shrine to the victims.
The crash, which occurred Sunday morning at 6:34 a.m., produced shocking images after a 2010 Porsche Boxster convertible hit the median of Hooper Avenue and slid into an embankment, which launched the vehicle into the second story of the office building at 1466 Hooper Avenue.
The crash killed the driver, Braden DeMartin, 22, and passenger Daniel Foley, 23, both of Toms River. Police said the car was traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Hooper Avenue before losing control and hitting the center median, continuing north and striking an embankment, causing it to become airborne into the building. On Monday, friends of the victims began placing flowers and candles at the scene as the building – then exposed to the elements – was covered with a tarp.
“I took the day off, so I just came and brought some flowers, and just trying to be there for my friend,” Jacob Palecki, a middle school friend of Foley’s, told WPVI-TV.
Palecki told reporters that his friend loved cars and that they brought him joy and friendship with others.
The scene of a deadly car accident in Toms River, Nov. 11, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
DeMartin, the owner of the vehicle, was also a car enthusiast who recently graduated from Rowan University with a degree in bioinformatics.
Both victims were described as friendly, generous and well-liked in the Toms River community with friends across town. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Toms River police are continuing to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident, which the prosecutor’s office called “unimaginable.”
