1st Person At Brooke Costanzo Crash Scene Recounts What He Saw

SADDLE BROOK, NJ — Dominic Bonomo ran outside of his South Brunswick home Sunday night immediately after hearing the horrific crash that killed 16-year-old high school student Brooke Costanzo.

Bonomo said he knew it was a bad accident right away. He saw Costanzo inside the Honda Pilot, but could not get her out. He immediately called the authorities.

"I knew there was no way they were going to get her out," Bonomo said. "There was nothing I could do. I called and said 'You've got to get here fast.'"

Bonomo commended the quick response of the South Brunswick Police officers and other first responders who were at the scene.

Authorities are trying to determine why Costanzo took her mother's Honda Pilot and drove nearly 50 miles to Middlesex County. Costanzo's cell phone was found at the scene. Police are examining it to try and determine why she made the trip. She only had her learner's permit.

It took South Brunswick firefighters 30 minutes to remove Costanzo from the mangled vehicle. She was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick in extremely critical condition, but succumbed to her injuries just before dawn on Monday, Dec. 4.

Saddle Brook Police Chief Robert Kugler previously said Costanzo's mother, Janine, called police at 5:30 p.m. the day of the crash to report the car and her daughter missing.

A candlelight vigil was held at Saddle Brook High School in Costanzo's memory Tuesday night. Hundreds of people attended. Many signed notes of remembrance on large poster boards. Costanzo, a junior, was a cheerleader and player lacrosse and volleyball.

"She was the most outgoing, lovely person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing," said Anjelica Parisi, who said she knew Costanzo since they were 4 years old. "She just knew how to make everyone smile, no matter what the situation was."

Costanzo's father Timothy died in a motorcycle crash 10 years ago. More than $52,000 has been donated to the family on a GoFundMe page.

A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of Mount Virgin R.C. Church in Garfield Thursday at 9 a.m.

Related: Saddle Brook Mourns Teen Who 'Knew How To Make Everyone Smile'
Related: Saddle Brook Teen Killed In South Brunswick Crash Sunday
Related: Funeral Services Set For Brooke Costanzo

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Photo: One of the dozens of photos of Brooke Costanzo displayed at a candlelight vigil in her memory at Saddle Brook High School Tuesday night./By Daniel Hubbard