The driver of a 2001 Ford Escape that was involved in a May 13 collision with a vehicle being driven by a Jackson Memorial High School student has died.
Robert Vallee, 41, of Manchester, was airlifted after the crash to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, where he remained in critical condition until May 22 when he succumbed to injuries he sustained in the crash.
A medical center spokesman confirmed Vallee’s death to the Tri-Town News on May 23.
The May 13 accident also claimed the life of Jackson Memorial High School senior James Volpe, 17, of Jackson, who died at the scene of the crash.
Volpe was a passenger in a vehicle being driven by his Jackson Memorial High School baseball teammate Alex Daniele. Volpe was planning to attend Kean University in September.
Another Jaguar baseball player, Christopher Russo, was also a passenger in the vehicle.
Daniele was driving a 2004 Lincoln LS westbound on Route 37 in Lakehurst when the accident occurred near Route 70 at 8:45 p.m. May 13, according to authorities.
Daniele’s vehicle and the vehicle being driven by Vallee met in a violent crash that remains under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.
Vallee, who was a painter, is survived by his parents; his wife, Karrie; a son, Brandon; and a daughter, Breanna. Vallee was a native of Illinois who resided in Toms River before moving to Manchester nine years ago, according to his obituary.
Following the crash, Daniele and Russo were taken to Community Medical Center, Toms River. The were released later on the evening of May 13.
No details regarding the activities of the Jackson Memorial High School students or Vallee on the night of the accident have been provided by law enforcement authorities in the two weeks since the accident occurred.
“Exactly where the high school students were coming from has not yet been determined by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and is still under investigation by the Vehicular Homicide Unit of the prosecutor’s office and the Lakehurst Police Department,” Deputy Chief Mike Mohel of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office told the Tri-Town News on May 23.
As ofMay 23 it had not been determined which of the two vehicles crossed the center line of Route 37, according to Mohel, who said the accident remains under investigation.
The deputy chief confirmed that Vallee’s family donated his body organs.