Community Corner
Somerset County Dad, Husband Suffers Severe Brain Injury After High-Speed Chase
A GoFundMe and meal gift cards are helping a South Bound Brook family manage bills and daily needs during recovery.
SOUTH BOUND BROOK, NJ — A South Bound Brook family needs help after their father and husband suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.
Eric Johansen, who works for the U.S. Park Service, was injured during a high-speed chase in New York City last week. He was not on horseback at the time.
He was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit(ICU) and survived the most critical stage. He is now stable and receiving the next level of care, according to a GoFundMe set up for the Johansen family.
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The Volunteer Squad said the injuries have had a major impact on the family, including the couple's young son, at the start of the school year.
Amanda Johansen, who runs Breakthrough Bakery in Warren, is also traveling back and forth between Somerset County and New York while Eric remains hospitalized, according to the appeal.
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"Eric is literally my best friend," said Johansen to Patch.
A GoFundMe page states that the family is now facing "the reality of a severe traumatic brain injury and a long, uncertain road ahead."
It says recovery will take time and support as the family moves through the process "one day, one hour, and sometimes one moment at a time."
Supporters can help in two main ways. The first is through a GoFundMe set up to assist with Eric's recovery and household expenses.
The second is through DoorDash gift cards intended to help with meals while Amanda is commuting between home and the hospital.
According to the GoFundMe page, "The next step is getting Eric back home to New Jersey and transferred to a facility that specializes in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation, where Eric can receive the focused care needed for this stage of recovery."
The fundraiser says donations will help cover monthly bills and supplemental care needs during his recovery.
The Volunteer Squad also wrote, "Whatever you can do, is so appreciated."
For more information or to donate, visit gofundme.com/f/support-amanda-and-erics-recovery.
Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.
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