Teen Driver Charged In Fatal Post-Prom Crash In North Jersey: PD

NEWTON, NJ — The teen driver behind the wheel during a post-prom crash that left a teenage girl dead has been charged, New Jersey State Police said.

Anthony Burke, 17, faces several charges, including death by auto and assault by auto, stemming from the May 11 crash, police said.

Burke was driving a car full of teens when their Mercedes Benz ran off Route 611 at 5:37 p.m on Saturday in Fredon Township and overturned, police said.

Alexis "Lexi" Faye, 17, was killed in the crash. Burke and another passenger were flown to Morristown Medical Center in serious condition; a hospital spokesperson was unable to confirm their status on Wednesday because they are minors.

The car was a prom rental that the teens were using to drive to Turtle Back Zoo on Saturday, NJ.com reported. They were on their way home when the crash happened.

The dedicated "stat girl" for the Newton High School lacrosse team and a leader in the efforts to establish a girl's team, a scholarship fund has been set up in her memory. The "Lexi Faye Heart of Gold Lacrosse Scholarship Fund" will benefit "an individual who possesses many of the same characteristics that Lexi embraced herself," a GoFundMe drive says.

"The ways in which we saw Lexi is the way in which we would like to keep her memory alive for years to come. Her loyalty, commitment, dedication, kindness, compassion, and humility are qualities that we want to recognize for our future recipients," Taylor Thieme wrote on the fundraiser. (Donations can also be mailed to the Newton High School c/o Lisa Casamissina, 44 Ryerson Ave., Newton, NJ 07860.)

When she wasn't spending her time with lacrosse-related activities, the junior volunteered as a counselor with Redeemer Lutheran Bible Camp, as a peer leadership volunteer at Halsted Middle School, and worked at Tranquility Farms in Green Township. She was a big fan of Disney World in Florida, and was a "passionate" NY Giants and NJ Devils fan, an obituary says, and was able to attend the 2018 Super Bowl in Minnesota.

"Lexi has made a lasting impression on countless lives she has touched. Her beauty, loyalty, heart of gold, bright smile, sense of humor and contagious laugh will never be forgotten," the obituary says.