Woman Killed In Crash Wanted To Enlist In The Coast Guard

PARAMUS, NJ — Jennah Mae DiSclafani wanted to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard. She loved the color pink. She was a cheerleader. She was happy.

DiSclafani's life ended tragically early Sunday morning when the Ford Mustang she was in flipped over on Route 4 at the Bergen Town Center. She died at the scene. Another woman, her friend, Mariah Gomez, 20, died at the hospital, authorities said. The driver, Jasmine Cruz, 23, was charged with two counts of death by auto and driving while intoxicated.

DiSclafani, 19, was a cheerleader for the Hackensack Rams, the Cheer House in Garfield and Garfield High School, her alma mater.

RELATED: Route 4 Crash Victim Had Just Graduated High School, Family Says

DiSclafani graduated from high school earlier this year. She had plans to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard, said Robin Daghlian-Curasco a friend of the DiSclafani family for 40 years.

"She was the happiest kid in the world," Daghlian-Currasco said. "She loved life."

Daghlian-Currasco picked out DiSclafani's name. DiSclafani's mother thought she was having a boy until the ninth month of her pregnancy. Then she found out she was having a girl. She was originally going to go with Jennifer.

"She wanted something with a J and ended with an H, because of her father is named Joseph and her son is Joseph Jr.," said Daghlian-Currasco. "Then I told her 'Jenna, but with an H at the end' and that was that."

More than $6,800 was donated on a GoFundMe page started Monday to help DiSclafani's family pay for her funeral and burial expenses. A lot of the money was donated from the Ridgefield Memorial High School Alumni Association. Daghlian-Currasco and DiSclafani's mother met at the school.

DiSclafani is survived by her parents, Joseph and Deborah; brothers Robert and Joseph Jr.; grandparents Peter and Patricia DiSclafani; uncles Philip DiSclafani and his wife Donna, and Darren Engell; aunts, Jackie DiSclafani, Kerri Barckett, and her husband Dave, Stephanie Engell-Graff and Millie Engell; cousins Brett, Connor, Devin, Brielle, Carly, Alyssa, Brittany, Nicholas and Joey and loving friends, her obituary states. She is predeceased by her maternal grandparents, Katherine and Warren Engell.

DiSclafani was cremated on Monday, Daghlian-Currasco said. Visitation with the family will be at Aloia Funeral Home, 180 Garfield Ave. Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m.

A memorial service will be held with the family Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Mount Virgin R.C. Church, 188 MacArthur Ave., Garfield.

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Photo: Jennah Mae DiSclafani/Courtesy of Robin Daghlian-Curasco