District Employee Struck, Killed Outside School In South Brunswick

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A South Brunswick School District employee was struck and killed Wednesday morning while working outside a school, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said.

Dean Battaglia, 53, was spraying weeds along a curb at Crossroads North Middle School on Georges Road when he was struck by a car, Ciccone said. Police and EMS attempted life-saving efforts but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car stayed at the scene, authorities said.

“The South Brunswick Police Department extends our deepest condolences to the South Brunswick School District on the loss. We have no words, but as a community, we will work to support our district and one another as best we can during this difficult time,” Hayducka said.

South Brunswick Schools Superintendent Scott Feder sent a letter to the school community informing them of Battaglia's death.

Calling Battaglia a "beloved member of our district" Feder said, “Our thoughts and prayers are for his family, colleagues, and friends. We are all grieving this sad loss.”

Battaglia was a longtime employee of the building and grounds department in the school district. "He also worked as a bus driver this school year and loved his students," Feder said.

He leaves behind two children, and a fiancee who has three daughters, two at the township’s high school.

Georges Road was closed for four hours on Wednesday, as investigators pieced together the crash.

The crash remains under investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and the South Brunswick Police Traffic Safety Bureau.

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