Community Corner
'I'm Worried They Are Going To Flip,' 911 Caller Says Of Fatal Mahwah Crash: Report
A 911 call minutes before the crash reported that people were hanging out of the speeding SUV 17-year-old Nicholas Lauerwald was in.
MAHWAH, N.J. — A caller reported that the SUV Nicholas Lauerwald was in was speeding and that teenagers were hanging out of the vehicle minutes before the 17-year-old died.
Callers frantically notified emergency responders after the crash occurred at the intersection of Bellgrove Drive and South Bayard Lane, police said. The driver lost control of the 2006 Toyota 4Runner, hit a curb, and then hit a tree, police said. Lauerwald was in a rear passenger seat and he died of blunt force head injury, NorthJersey.com reported.
"I hate to break up the party but there are teenagers driving around hanging out their windows,” a caller reported to police. “I’m just worried they’re going to flip.”
Find out what's happening in Mahwahfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
RELATED: No Charges Filed In Fatal Mahwah Accident That Killed Nicholas Lauerwald
Police previously said that the speed of the vehicle and the wet roads, which were covered in wet leaves, probably played a factor in the crash.
Find out what's happening in Mahwahfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Mahwah Police Department and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office continue to investigate the crash.
Lauerwald was an all-county, all-region, and all-state clarinet player who had the respect of his peers and teachers.
Hundreds of people attended a memorial service at the school honored Lauerwald. His parking space was turned into a makeshift memorial.
A student kneels at a makeshift memorial at Nicholas Lauerwald's parking space at Mahwah High School. Photo courtesy of Katarina Radisic
More than $32,500 has been donated online in Lauerwald's memory. The money had originally been designated to help the family pay for funeral expenses, but the money will be used for a memorial scholarship established in Lauerwald's name.
RELATED: Memorial Scholarship Established In Memory Of Nicholas Lauerwald
More than $40,200 has been donated in a separate campaign for the scholarship.
Send local news tips, photos, and press releases to daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.
Photo: Nicholas Lauerwald and his mother, Eva Marie — Courtesy of Suzanne Curry
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
