NJ student dies in motorcycle crash at U of Delaware

NEWARK, Del. — A New Jersey woman about to begin her first year at the University of Delaware died after being struck by a speeding motorcycle late Tuesday night.

Newark, Delaware police said a motorcyclist ignored a University of Delaware police officer's order to stop on East Main Street, which runs through the center of the campus. One minute later the motorcycle struck a pedestrian  who was inside a crosswalk on West Main Street. The motorcycle continued onto a sidewalk and struck four pedestrians and a light pole.

Bystanders unsuccessfully tried to revive the 18-year-old New Jersey woman in the crosswalk. Her identity was not disclosed pending family notification.

Several friends walking with her witnessed the crash, according to University President Dennis Assanis.

The crash happened in front of the school's Trabant University Center.

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'Unimaginably tragic'

The motorcyclist and one of the pedestrians suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment. No charges have been filed pending further investigation. Three of the pedestrians refused medical treatment.

Assanis and Student Life Vice President José-Luis Riera expressed their condolences in a message to the campus.

"Incidents such as this are unimaginably tragic. We cannot express enough how sorry we are for the family, friends, and greater community as we are all so deeply shaken by the sudden loss of one of our own. Our hearts are very heavy today," Assanis and Riera wrote. "We must all come together, to lean on each other, and to do so with extra kindness and empathy. Together, we are stronger, and we must live this truth in the coming days. We are one Blue Hen community."

It's the fourth tragic event to claim the life of a New Jersey teenager in the past week.

• Daniel Haas, 18, of West Windsor a member of the Notre Dame High School Class of 2024 died several days after the Tesla Y he was a passenger in slammed into a tree on Aug. 20.
• North Hunterdon High School student Sophia Detorres, 16, died Thursday in a three-vehicle crash at Hogback (Route 617) and Lowers Lansdown roads in Franklin Township (Hunterdon) on the first day of classes officials said.

• Zeina Mahafzah, 18, of Wayne, who was about to start classes at the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers Newark was killed Sunday when she was struck by the propeller of a boat she was trying to board.