A New Jersey community will come together on Friday for a memorial to honor a Mercer County schools district superintendent who died after a student struck him with a car as he jogged with his dog Tuesday morning.
Dr. Steven Mayer, superintendent of Robbinsville School District, was running along Robbinsville Edinburg Road with his dog Tuesday morning when authorities say a 17-year-old student on her way to the high school for a class trip struck him, killing both him and his dog.
Officials said the student stopped in front of a nearby middle school after the crash and called 9-1-1, telling operators that she believed her car struck someone.
The Robbinsville School District closed Tuesday and Wednesday to mourn Mayer's sudden passing. The community will honor him with a memorial service on Friday, and he will be laid to rest at a private funeral on Saturday.
"With a heavy heart, we share with you devastating news that our beloved Dr. Steven Mayer, Superintendent of Schools passed away [Tuesday] morning from a tragic accident," said a message posted to the Robbinsville Schools website on Tuesday.
"Dr. Mayer was beloved by our community, he was our superintendent, he was our coach, he was our friend, he was one of our residents," said Fried.
Fried said he tried reaching out to Mayer after first hearing about the crash, not realizing he was the one who was struck.
"As soon as we heard we had an accident this morning he was the first person that I texted to find out how we were going to handle it," Fried said.
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Authorities have not said whether the teenage girl will face any charges.
Fried asked everyone to pray for both Mayer's and the student's families.
Mayer left behind three sons -- two are in college, one is a junior at the high school -- and his wife who teaches at Sharon Elementary School, said Fried.
The crash left the community in total shock, said Fried. Mayer led the district's three schools with nearly 3,000 students for the past six years. He was also a little league coach.
The community came together Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil in Mayer's memory at 7 p.m. at the gazebo at Foxmoor Park -- across from the Foxmoor Shopping Plaza along Route 33. More than 500 people attended the event.
"How do you make sense of a nonsensical situation," asked Robbinsville Council President Ron Witt. "I was at a loss for words. I still expect to wake up from a bad dream and clearly that's the case. It's just a tragedy."
Mourners placed candles alongside flowers and wrote messages to Dr. Mayer's family on index cards.
"We all care," said Ruxaldra Barb of Robbinsville. "And he cared about us and cared about the community."
Teammates of Mayer's son attended the vigil in their Lacrosse uniforms to show solidarity in their support.
"Such a great family and such a tragic event," said Mike Sanguinetti, a Robbinsville student. "I think all the people out here speak to the impact he had on this town."
