South Jersey Teen Killed In Crash; Family Wants Answers

Right before her 20th birthday, on May 22, Celina Henriquez was "called home to be with her daddy," her family says.

They're grieving — and they're demanding answers — as the state police continue to probe how the 19-year-old Clementon woman died in a car crash on I-295.

Her family says they've talked to people who were involved in the accident, including Celina's boyfriend, Raymond Mason, and they believe it was a hit-and-run. The state police, at this point, say the accident involved what appeared to be a single car that hit a tree.

"Maybe, just maybe someone out there knows what happen to my beautiful baby girl," said Henriquez's mother, Jean.

The state police, however, won't rule out the possibility that more people were involved in the accident, saying the investigation is ongoing.

Henriquez and Mason, 20, of West Deptford, were driving on I-295 northbound near mile post 24.8 before 11:30 p.m. when Mason's Honda left the roadway and struck a sign and then a tree, police said.

Mason and Henriquez were transported to Cooper University Hospital, Camden, where she was pronounced dead, police said. Mason suffered a head injury.

A GoFundMe page was set up to help fund expenses resulting from the crash. But the family has also used the page as a platform for their grief and disbelief.

"Celina was a BEAUTIFUL person inside and outside," they said. "Her smile was contagious and was her best feature."

With all this strong support, Celina's brother, Josh, told Fox29 that the family has had "lots of emotions" because they are "confused."

Josh said a car was reportedly in the fast lane that clipped Mason and Henriquez's car, causing them to lose control and hit the sign. He said Mason and eyewitnesses at the scene insist that another car was involved.

"We're just trying to get down to the bottom of it, whether it was a hit-and-run and whether there was another car," he said. "It's been over a week and we haven't heard anything from anybody. Nobody has told us about anything."

It's especially hard for the family, he said, because Celina had a big life ahead of her. She overcame so much after their father attempted suicide in front of them on Christmas Eve in 2011. He died on Christmas Day.

Josh said she made sure to be a goals-oriented person who was determined to lead a successful life.

"She had goals. She had a checklist that she kept on her bed," he said. "She had goals for the day. She had goals for 2017."

Henriquez was a 2015 graduate of Overbrook High School. She was an undergraduate student at Rowan University and a former undergraduate at Stockton University.

She was a full-time student with a part-time job and still found time to volunteer at the Camden County animal shelter, according to the page. Josh said she aspired to become a veterinarian because she loved animals.

"She had so much more in life to accomplish and had everything going for her. Unfortunately her life was taken way too soon and she will be missed by so many!" he said.

Others are looking out for her, too.

On Wednesday, Henriquez's employer, Buffalo Wild Wings, donated 10 percent of the total bills to her funeral service.

The Buffalo Wild Wings locations that did this were Mays Landing, Sicklerville, Millville and Moorestown.

The Moorestown location will also be raffling off baskets to also raise money "for our beautiful angel to be put the rest the way she deserves," according to the Gardner Funeral Home.

People have also taken to social media to show an outpouring of love and support:

Photo courtesy of the Henriquez family