State Senator Angela McKnight (D-31) is reacting to the deaths of two family members who were killed in a fatal Newark crash that claimed six lives overall.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the unimaginable loss of six lives taken far too soon, including my family members, Lamar and Darryl McKnight. Cousins to my husband, Anthony McKnight, Lamar and Darryl were two brothers who touched countless lives within our family and the broader community. Their loss leaves an immeasurable hole in our hearts that words cannot fully express,” she said in a statement.
“The outpouring of love, support, and prayers during this difficult time has been a true source of comfort, and I am deeply and forever grateful for the kindness shown to Darryl and Lamar’s parents, Natasha McKnight and Darryl Williams, and the rest of our family. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the additional passengers of this devastating tragedy. May we honor each of their memory by remembering the joy they brought into our lives.”
At approximately 10:47 p.m. on Friday at the intersection of Raymond Boulevard and Blanchard Street, a vehicle traveled toward the 1&9 Southbound on-ramp before veering off the roadway, going airborne, and colliding with a support column of the Pulaski Skyway, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Three of the victims have been identified as brothers Darryl McKnight, 33, and Lamar McKnight, 32, the head football coach at Hudson Catholic, as well as Brad Cunningham – an assistant coach.
The other three victims have not been identified yet, but Natasha McKnight, the mother of Darryl and Lamar, told CBS News that two of those victims were also related to her, but declined to identify them.
“As far as we can tell, [it] may have been the largest single-car motor vehicle accident in the last 40 years,” Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said yesterday, as reported by Pix 11.
“While traveling on the ramp, the vehicle somehow went off the roadway, became airborne, and struck a support column for the Pulaski Skyway before coming to a final rest underneath Routes 1 and 9 on the southbound ramp. That is when the vehicle caught fire.”
