Two NJ high school football coaches among six killed in fiery Newark car crash
Two Hudson Catholic football coaches and four others were killed after their car flew off an overpass, smashed into a support column for New Jersey’s Pulaski Skyway and burst into flames, officials said.
The tragic crash occurred just before 11 p.m. on Friday night near Raymond Boulevard and Blanchard Street, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
The car was on a southbound on-ramp when the it somehow veered off the roadway, went “airborne” and smashed into a support column for the Pulaski Skyway mid-air.
The car crash landed on the ground and caught fire, officials said.
All six occupants died.
Beloved Hudson Catholic High School Head Coach Lamar McKnight and assistant coach and former Rutgers player Brad Cunningham were both killed in the crash, according to The Knight Report.
Hudscon Catholic defensive back Amori McNeil posted a touching tribute to his coaches on social media and vowed to “finish the mission for y’all.”
“Coach McKnight since the first time we met it was an instant connection and a bond that nobody would ever break. I want to thank you for making me a better athlete and a better man at life without you I don’t know where I would be right now,” the junior wrote on Instagram.
“I love you Coach Brad you’re in a better place now and ima make sure to finish what we always talked about,” he added.
Rutgers University head football coach Greg Schiano said he was “saddened” to hear about the coach’s deaths.
“Brad Cunningham, member of our first recruiting class, laid the foundation of the Rutgers football program,” Schiano tweeted.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Brad’s family and the entire Hudson Catholic football family.”
The Post has reached out to Hudson Catholic and the Archdiocese of Newark for comment.
No additional information about the crash was immediately available, officials said.
A press conference has been scheduled for 3 p.m. on Monday at the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office in Newark.
