Jean Altieri died Saturday night after being hit by a pickup truck while leaving a Hightstown High School reunion, held at the Hightstown firehouse.
By: Marisa Maldonado
HIGHTSTOWN A 1959 graduate of Hightstown High School was killed Saturday night on North Main Street after a pickup truck struck her just moments after she left her high school reunion, where a reunion organizer said she laughed and reminisced with old friends.
Manchester resident Jean Altieri left the reunion at the Hightstown firehouse with her boyfriend at around 10:30 p.m., said Cathy Simmons, a friend of Ms. Altieri and a reunion organizer. Police would not confirm the identity of the woman killed and did not comment on whether any charges were pending.
A pickup truck then struck the woman on North Main Street, said Hightstown Detective Benjamin Miller. Detective Miller declined to release the victim’s name or any details of the accident, saying it is an ongoing investigation and not all family members have been notified.
According to Ms. Simmons, Ms. Altieri fell into the street after tripping. Ms. Simmons said Ms. Altieri’s boyfriend, Frank Darlea, saw the truck run over her chest, and immediately rushed to her side.
"He was in the street, holding her head," Ms. Simmons said, "and she didn’t respond to him."
About 200 people attended the reunion Saturday night, which was for the Hightstown High School classes of 1959 to 1965, Ms. Simmons said. One of those classmates of Ms. Altieri, Richard Weisel, helped as the Hightstown First Aid Squad tried to revive her, Ms. Simmons said.
Ms. Altieri then was transported to Capital Health System at Helene Fuld. She was pronounced dead at 11:21 p.m. at the hospital, said Detective Miller.
"It was just so sad," said Ms. Simmons, who drove to the hospital with Mr. Darlea and waited until Ms. Altieri’s family arrived. "Everybody was just absolutely shocked."
Ms. Simmons, a 1964 graduate of Hightstown High School who knew Ms. Altieri since childhood, called the incident a "freak, tragic accident."
Ms. Altieri, who retired two years ago after most recently owning National Car Rental in East Windsor, was known for her "bubbly and vivacious" nature, which she demonstrated in part through leading a chapter of the Red Hat Society called Scarlet Sisters.
Members of the group, created as a social outlet for women over the age of 50, are known for wearing red hats with purple outfits.
"She always wore purple everything," Ms. Simmons said. "When she died, she had a purple outfit on."
The only identification Ms. Altieri carried that night was her Red Hat Society business card, Ms. Simmons said.
Ms. Altieri also enjoyed spending time with her family, which includes a daughter, Jennifer Benze Anderson; two grandchildren, Morgan and Tyler; a sister and brother-in-law, Connie and Nick Singlelakis; and a niece and nephew, Nicole and Peter.
She showed pictures of her two grandchildren at the reunion, as well as old photographs from high school.
Funeral services for Ms. Altieri are being held Friday at 10 a.m. at the A.S. Cole Funeral Home in Cranbury.
Ms. Altieri grew up in Hightstown, where her mother and sometimes Ms. Simmons, just to tease her called her "Jean Marie." Later in life she moved to Cranbury Township, then most recently to Manchester.
Her boyfriend, Mr. Darlea, had become an important part of her life in recent years, Ms. Simmons said. The two recently took a cruise and loved spending time at the shore riding Mr. Darlea’s motorcycle.
Ms. Simmons said they had planned to attend Mr. Darlea’s Navy reunion in Las Vegas next week.
"They were just having a ball together," Ms. Simmons said. "Youth is wasted on the young."