Crash claims life of Monmouth Regional senior

[Cooleo111]

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080310/NEWS/80310012#gslPageReturn
TINTON FALLS — Ryan Jones, a popular senior at Monmouth Regional High School who played two varsity sports and "always smiled" as he walked through high school hallways, was killed in a car accident on Wayside Road.

Jones, 18, of Tinton Falls, was a passenger in a car that struck a tree around 11:15 p.m. Sunday, police said.

The driver, a 17-year-old Eatontown boy who is also a student at Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls, was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. The driver was initially listed in serious condition after the accident, police said.

Jones was a popular student who played varsity soccer and was a pole vaulter on the varsity track team, said School Superintendent James Cleary.

Jones loved those sports, said his friend, Audrey Paraskevas, 17.

"He was a real genuine person," she said. "He always smiled in the hallway, even if he didn't know you."

Paraskevas lives near the Wayside Road accident site. Her father called 911 when he realized a car had crashed.

"I woke up at 11:30 to sirens, and my dad telling me to come outside," she said. "It's pretty much an indescribable feeling to see your best friend on a stretcher and not breathing."

Jones was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, police said.

The 17-year-old driver, whose name was not released, was headed south on Wayside Road in a Volvo S40. It appears the car slid across the road into the northbound lane, then struck a tree, said Capt. David Trevena.

Both teens were trapped in the vehicle, he said.

Trevena said the two teens had just left a friend's house in Tinton Falls. The driver realized he left his cell phone at the friend's house and the pair were returning to retrieve the phone when the crash occurred, police said.

It appears that speed was a factor in the accident, but the exact cause is still under investigation, the captain said.

Police said there is a possibility that charges could be filed, so the driver's name was not released because he is a juvenile.

Paraskevas said she and Jones became friends in sixth grade, when he moved to the area.

They used to hang out together in school, then call each other after 9 p.m., when they had free cell phone minutes, she said.

"We'd talk until 2 in the morning," she said. "He was always someone to talk to. He always cared about people. ...He was always there if I needed him."

In high school, the two "did their separate things," but if something big happened, Jones was always the first person she called, she said.

At the high school, officials put a crisis management plan into place Monday morning, and made counselors and the school psychologist available to the more than 1,100 students enrolled there.

Besides participating in varsity soccer and track, Jones was also on the high school's swim team for two years, and belonged to the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), the school superintendent said.

Jones was also participating in a duel enrollment program with Brookdale Community College in Middletown, taking both high school and college classes, said Cleary.

During the fall semester, the teen was in enrolled in World Civilizations II, a history class taught by George Reklaitis, a professor at Brookdale.

Jones was a quiet, unassuming student, but was very interested in the class and participated frequently, the professor said.

He was also one of the rare students who lingered after class, just to talk about the subject matter, said Reklaitis, adding that he spent quite a bit of time chatting about history with Jones after class and during office hours.

Reklaitis initially did not realize Jones was still in high school because the 18-year-old was mature for his age. The professor also wrote a college recommendation for the young man, who was applying to NJIT, he said.

"He was very interested in the subject of history," said the professor. "He was nice, quiet, polite (and) very respectful. He was someone who I definitely remember. I get 150 students a semester, but he's someone I remember quite vividly."

Police said the Wayside and Tinton Falls fire companies, Tinton Falls EMS, MONOC, the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team (SCART), and Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office also responded to the scene of the crash Sunday night.

The cause of the accident is under investigation by Tinton Falls Sgt. David Scrivanic and Corporal Matt Park.

Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to call Park, of the department's traffic safety unit, at (732) 542-3400 ext. 620.