Fiery, Fatal Crash Displaces Teacher Battling Cancer In South Jersey: GoFundMe Campaign

MULLICA HILL, NJ — A Gloucester County house that was heavily damaged after an SUV smashed through the wall and caught fire belongs to a middle school teacher who is battling cancer, according to a GoFundMe.

The vehicle crashed into a house in Mullica Hill on Saturday night, igniting a fire and killing the driver and passenger, police said.

Fire spread from the vehicle to most of the house on Banff Drive. The residents inside the home escaped unharmed, but the house was deemed uninhabitable.

• Read more: Longtime Coach, His Wife Killed As SUV Smashes Into NJ Living Room: Officials

One of the residents is Cherry Hill teacher Kelly Harris, who lived there with her husband and their 2-year-old daughter, according to a GoFundMe campaign supporting their needs. The fire destroyed everything the Harris family owns.

Harris, who teaches Spanish at Henry C. Beck Middle School, is currently battling Stage 4 breast cancer, the GoFundMe says.

"Alongside her husband and their two-year-old daughter, Kelly is facing challenges that no family should ever have to endure," the GoFundMe says. "The Harris family is now in urgent need of support as they work to rebuild their lives from the ground up."

Proceeds support temporary housing, Harris's ongoing medical care and other daily essentials. Nearly $40,000 has been raised as of this writing. Click here to visit the GoFundMe page.

Crash Kills Longtime Coach And His Wife

Police identified the deceased victims as Tom and Lisa Hengel — a married couple who lived next-door, property records show.

Tom, 72, was driving north on Banff Drive when, for an unknown reason, his SUV quickly accelerated. The 2020 Hyundai Palisade then struck a curb, traveled across two front yards and crashed through a house, entering the living room, police said.

A fire quickly engulfed the vehicle and most of the home. Tom and Lisa, 61, succumbed to their injuries.

Investigators believe the crash was accidental and likely caused by a medical emergency or gas-pedal issue, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Tom Hengel was a 1972 graduate of Clearview Regional High School in Mullica Hill. He later coached the Clearview Pioneers in cross country, track and basketball, making the Gloucester County Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

His track teams' accolades were especially notable, with the girls winter track team winning several state titles under his leadership. He also coached several girls and boys track athletes to individual state titles.