Pat Doyle, a popular hockey coach and public relations official who worked for Brick Township, N.J. was charged with DWI on Tuesday after an accident that killed a teen skateboarder, according to the Asbury Park Press.
"Here's a man who dedicated his whole life to public service for our youth, and this happened," said Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis. "It's such a tragedy."
The victim, Anthony Briffa, was riding his longboard to meet friends for coffee shortly after 10 p.m. on May 11. Briffa, 19, was headed north on Jordan Road. Doyle was headed in the opposite direction and allegedly hit and killed Briffa when he was trying to pass another verhicle, Brick Patch reported.
"Just the other day, my son Anthony said, 'Mom, we go to church and pray, why are we having so many problems?' and now this," Briffa's mother, Toni, told The Star Ledger after her son's death. Briffa was the youngest of four children, a devout Catholic who'd served as an altar boy and recently became a Eucharistic Minister, according to his mom.
"My thoughts are with the family," said Acropolis. "I have five children and I couldn't imagine this happening to them."
Doyle, 53, has lived in the township all his life. He played hockey as a kid, coached it for years and recently wrote a book about his coaching memories called: Forever Their Coach: All Rapped Up. He is charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, making an unsafe lane change and driving an unregistered vehicle.
Doyle resigned from his PR job with the township.
