Teen Who Fatally Hit Mercer County Superintendent Charged With Death by Auto

A teen driver was talking on the phone when she hit and killed 52-year-old Robbinsville School District Superintendent Dr. Steven J. Mayer and his dog in April before leaving the scene of the accident, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the Robbinsville Township Police Department said on Thursday.

The 18-year-old girl was charged with death by auto and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, both second-degree offenses.

She was also issued citations charging her with reckless driving, improper use of a cell phone while driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Her name is being withheld because she was 17 at the time of the fatal accident, which took place at in the area Robbinsville-Edinburg Road just north of the Pond Road intersection around 6:16 a.m. on April 19.

Police allege she left the scene even though she was aware the accident occurred.

She called 911 and told police she believed she had hit someone with her car shortly after the accident, according to New Jersey 101.5.

She made the call from a school less than a mile away from the scene. Her father's voice could also be heard on the call. It wasn't clear if she called her father or 911 first, according to the report.

She was reportedly running late for a class trip at the time of the accident.

The girl was charged over two months following the incident. Police previously said they were investigating her actions in the incident, but they didn't say exactly what actions they were investigating. Thursday was the first time police made any reference to cell phone use on her part.

She will be required to appear in Family Court before a Superior Court judge. The hearing date has not yet been confirmed.

Mayer was a longtime resident of Robbinsville, and was an active participant in both the Deerfoot Lodge, a Christian camp for boys located in the Adirondack Mountains, and Hope Unlimited, a mission organization for at-risk street kids in Brazil.

He served as superintendent for the district beginning in 2009. Before that, he was a principal in the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District for eight years before becoming an assistant superintendent in the district. He was also a teacher in the Howell School District.

He graduated from Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., and his wife, Donna, is a teacher at an elementary school in the district. They had three sons together.

His death shocked the community and local politicians alike. Schools were closed for two days following the accident, and thousands turned out for a vigil in his honor, where he was remembered for his commitment to education and his love of children.

The attached image of Steven Mayer was previously posted on Robbinsville Township's Official Facebook page.