Washington Township students walked out of class Monday morning in honor of a senior who was killed in a car accident on Saturday.
Nicole "Nikki" Kellenyi, 18, was a passenger in the back seat of a 1998 Saturn that collided with a Ford F-150 pick-up truck at around 11:40 p.m in Washington Township.
"I'll never see my daughter again, she'll never be here," said Mike Kellenyi, Nikki's father. "She was a beautiful girl and everybody loved her."
Police said that the Saturn was making a left turn at the intersection of Altair Drive and Pitman-Downer Road when it collided with the truck. The force of the collision sent both cars off the road.
Investigators said that Kellenyi had to be extricated from the back seat of the car by members of the fire department. Another passenger, identified as 18-year-old Taylor Petner of Sewell, was ejected from the vehicle. Petner had been sitting in the front seat. The driver of the Saturn has been identified as Alexandria Giantonnio. All three girls were seniors at Washington Township High School.
The occupants of the Saturn were taken to Cooper Hospital Trauma Center for treatment. There was no immediate word on the condition of either Giantonnio or Petner.
"Things like this always happen somewhere else, but this time it happened real close to home and it's something that makes you want to hug your kids a little bit tighter," said Bill Doyle, Kellenyi family friend.
The driver of the Ford, identified as Joann Finnegan, was taken to Kennedy University Hospital. Her condition has not been disclosed. A passenger, Patrick Finnegan, was not injured.
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The intersection was closed for two and a half hours following the crash. An investigation is ongoing, and anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to contact the Washington Township Police Department's Traffic Safety Unit at (856) 589-6694.
A memorial with flowers and stuffed animals is growing at the intersection where Kellenyi was killed.
An online petition has been launched asking the town to put a stoplight at that intersection.
On Monday, at 10:50 a.m., students walked out of their 4th period classes towards the school's parking lot. They surrounded a parking space with flowers on it as well as Nikki's name. They then walked together to the school's sports field and marched around the track.
