Community Mourns 16-Year-Old Athlete Killed In Sunday Crash

SADDLE BROOK, NJ -- The community is mourning a local teen who was killed in a crash six years after her own father died in a motor vehicle accident.

Brooke Costanzo, 16, died Monday morning from her injuries sustained in a Sunday evening car crash in South Brunswick. She was the sole occupant of a Honda Pilot that left the roadway and hit a tree around 6:30 p.m.

Friends described Costanzo as being a well-liked athlete who played lacrosse and was also a cheerleader, NorthJersey.com reported.

Her family has had to deal with enormous tragedy in recent years. The Daily Voice reports Costanzo's father, Timothy Costanzo, died in a motorcycle crash six and a half years ago.

Now the community is rallying to support the family. A GoFundMe page to raise money for services and other expenses was established Monday. "We love you and know you're our guardian angel now," the campaign page said. "Much love to the family."

The page has a goal of $20,000. As of Monday night, more than $16,000 had been donated.

Online tributes poured in along with the donations. Many remembered her as a "sweet girl" who was loved by her friends. "She was a beautiful girl and so loved," one mourner said.

According to information from police, it took firefighters 30 minutes to pull her from the wreckage. She was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where she succumbed to her injuries at 6 a.m. on Monday.

It is not clear if Costanzo was licensed. In New Jersey, you must be 17 for a probationary license.

PHOTO: GoFundMe