NJ Teen Among 3 Dead In Expressway Crash

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ — An Atlantic City teenager was one of three family members killed after their car crashed into an Atlantic City Expressway toll plaza Sunday night.

The accident was reported in the eastbound lanes at 9:08 p.m., according to State Police. After the vehicle struck the toll plaza near milepost 17.6, it burst into flames, police said.

Driver Reachthon Khiev, 31, passenger Reachsieh Khiev, 27, and their sister Keotepie Khiev, 14, sustained fatal injuries, police said.

According to State Police, the brothers were from Manchester, New Hampshire. Keotepie Khiev, of Atlantic City, was a student at Atlantic City High School.

A 12-year-old girl from Atlantic City who was riding in the vehicle also sustained non-life threatening injuries and was taken to an area hospital, police said. The 12-year-old attends Texas Avenue School.

An attendant working at the toll plaza also sustained non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the crash, police said.

According to a GoFundMe page created Monday, Reachthon “Tonny” Khiev and Reachsieh “Johnny” Khiev were visiting their sisters from New Hampshire to surprise them for the holiday weekend.

“They were on their way back home to drop off their sisters from a day full of shopping and dinner. Unfortunately, it was their best and last Christmas as a family,” wrote their sister Mimi Khiev.

Mimi said Keotepie was a 9th grader attending Atlantic City High School. She finished this marking period with high honors and had dreams of studying abroad in Paris.

“She was also a proud ROTC member. She would always tell me how she is competing to beat one of our sister’s ROTC records for timed sit-ups,” Mimi wrote.

The online fundraiser was established to assist the family with funeral expenses. Khiev said her brothers were the only ones who were financially earning and supporting their family.

“They both had a huge heart and were full of life,” Mimi said. “They touched so many people's lives and deserved so much more life than they got. They fought so many battles and smiled through it all.”

As of Tuesday, the GoFundMe had surpassed its goal. Any donations beyond the goal for funeral expenses will be used to relocate the family to New Hampshire so they can be closer with each other and to cover the therapy services the 12-year-old girl needs to recover from the crash.

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