Vianney Senior, A Brookdale Graduate, Dies In Colts Neck Car Crash

COLTS NECK, NJ — Lauren Hewski, a stellar St. John Vianney senior who also just received her associates degree from Brookdale Community College, died Thursday in a car crash in Colts Neck, coming back from college graduation.

The 18-year-old had been awarded her advanced AA degree at the morning graduation ceremony Thursday at Brookdale in Middletown, after which the single-vehicle accident happened.

Authorities say she was a passenger in a Jeep Cherokee driven by a male, 17, who was not named because of his age.

The Jeep struck a utility pole and overturned in the area of Laird Road, west of Longbridge Road, sometime before 12:30 p.m. Thursday, when Colts Neck police responded to the scene. The driver was injured and taken to a local hospital for treatment, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said.

As a high school student at St. John Vianney in Holmdel, Lauren Hewski also earned her advanced associates degree under a special program at Brookdale, and both schools expressed deep mourning at her loss.

The college community "is devastated over the tragic death of Lauren Hewski," said college President Dr. David M. Stout Friday. "We had just celebrated her success as one of our youngest college graduates at Brookdale’s morning Commencement Ceremony."

Her high school is also devastated.

"The Saint John Vianney High School community has suffered a great loss," said Principal Margaret Kane in a statement from the school.

"On Thursday, May 11, 2023, Lauren Hewski, a gifted student and athlete in our senior class, passed away from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. We ask for prayers and privacy for the family at this time. We also ask for prayers for our school community," Kane said.

At Brookdale, Stout had more praise for Lauren Hewski:

"Lauren was an incredibly intelligent and talented young woman who left an indelibly positive impression on all of her faculty and classmates," Stout said.

"Our hearts are broken at the loss of this precious young life — a life so filled with promise and possibilities.

"On behalf of the entire Brookdale community and our Board of Trustees, we extend deepest condolences to Lauren’s parents, family, friends, classmates, SJV family, fellow SJV Early College graduates and everyone who had the privilege of knowing her," he said.

Lauren Hewski was a graduate of Saint John Vianney’s Early College High School program, a partnership between the high school and Brookdale Community College in which students are able to complete their associate degree while attending their high school.

According to her Linkedin profile, Lauren Hewski was from Matawan and a co-captain of the varsity soccer team, a National Honor Society member and past president of the Student Government President.

The circumstances behind the accident remain under investigation by the prosecutor's office, the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team (SCART), and the Colts Neck Police Department, authorities say.

As of Friday afternoon, no summonses or juvenile complaints against the driver had been filed, the prosecutor's office said.