Victim Killed Buckling Child In Car In South Amboy YMCA Crash

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ — An Old Bridge man was killed Monday night when he was hit by a car while picking his daughter up from an after-care program at the South Amboy YMCA.

Old Bridge resident Benjamin Navarrete, 48, was hit while he was strapping his 6-year-old daughter into her car seat. Their Mitsubishi Outlander was parked just outside the Y's main entrance on John T. O'Leary Boulevard when Patrick Walsh, 53, of South Amboy apparently lost control of his Toyota Corrolla and drove into them just before 5 p.m. Monday.

"We can confirm that, yes, a parent of one of our children in the after-care program passed away," said Paul Casey, the vice president of operations and branch development for the YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge and South Amboy. "We are grateful to the work of the town police and EMS yesterday during this tragic incident."

Navarrete was airlifted to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries at 6:20 pm. Monday, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. Related: Who Was Benny Navarette?

His daughter was injured in the accident as well, but her injuries are not life-threatening. She was also taken to Robert Wood University Hospital.

Navarrete is originally from Park Slope, Brooklyn, and he worked in New Jersey for Verizon. An acquaintance of his from Brooklyn said "shock and disbelief" spread through his network of friends Monday night in the hours after Navarrete's sudden death.

"I'm just in shock," said the friend, who didn't want to give her name out of respect for his family. "He was a really great guy, a really warm person."

It remains unclear what caused Walsh to lose control. He was also taken to the hospital for his injuries and is said to be in stable condition.

Read more: 1 Killed, 2 Cars Crash At YMCA In South Amboy

As of now, no charges have been filed in the deadly crash. Original reports said one person was killed in the crash and three injured, but that was incorrect: Navarrete was killed; his daughter and Walsh were injured.

South Amboy Mayor Fred Henry told NJ.com there is a steep hill leading down to the YMCA and speculated that Walsh's brakes may have failed.

"It's a steep hill leading down to the Y and my understanding from speaking with police is that the driver's brakes failed," Henry said.

However, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said that information was prematurely released by the mayor and is unconfirmed.

“Unverified information was prematurely released by the South Amboy Mayor’s office. MCPO and the South Amboy police department are working diligently to determine the facts surrounding the incident," Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey released in a statement.

According to video from the scene, the front door of the YMCA was also badly damaged; the impact of getting hit may have thrown Navarrete into the glass front door, Mayor Henry said.

The South Amboy YMCA closed Monday night after the incident, but reopened Tuesday morning as police continue to comb through the scene. YMCA members are asked to avoid the front door and enter through a side doors of the gym.

The auto crash is being investigated by Detective David Keegan of the South Amboy Police Department and Detective Mark Morris of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Keegan at (732) 721-0111 or Detective Morris at (732) 745-4194.

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