Funeral Set For 'Inseparable' Couple Killed In Route 37 Crash In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Kiley Armstrong and Evan Fiore were inseparable in life. From quiet nights hanging out to double dates with Kiley's twin sister, Krista, and Krista's boyfriend Ryan Chapman, to Kiley transferring to a college closer to home, the two were together constantly.

On Friday, the couple will be celebrated together in a funeral Mass, after Kiley, 21, and Evan, 23, were killed March 7 when an unlicensed teen driving a BMW ran a red light on Route 37 at Route 166 and smashed into the Toyota Corolla that carried the two couples.

Krista Armstrong, 21, and Ryan Chapman, 19, who were sitting in the back seat, were seriously injured in the crash. Family members have told Patch they are anticipated to be released from the hospital sometime this week and will be able to attend the funeral.

The driver has been charged as a juvenile with two counts of aggravated manslaughter, four counts of assault by auto and a host of other charges in the fatal crash, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said the day after the crash.

The case has been moved to Monmouth County, and officials with the prosecutor's office there said there are no updates available yet on the status of the case.

Kiley and Evan were both lifelong residents of Toms River. They were high school sweethearts who started dating in the fall of their senior year and almost immediately became inseparable, their families said in their obituaries.

Kiley had started mentioning Evan "in casual conversation, and once it started, it never stopped," her family wrote. The couple fell in love "all but instantaneously, and they were inseparable thereafter – a perfect match."

"Evan quickly accomplished one goal in particular that can often prove so elusive for so many – he found the love of his life," his family wrote.

After they graduated from Toms River High School North in 2021, Kiley headed off to the University of Massachusetts but after two years she transferred to Rowan University to be closer to Evan and family, her family wrote. She was on track to graduate in May with a degree in exercise science and was planning to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy.

Evan, who played ice hockey and was a member of the track and field team at Toms River North, started to study welding through the Ocean County Vocational Technical School while he was in high school, his family said. He was expecting to complete his associate's degree at Ocean County College in May while working as a welder/foreman for R&S Contracting. He had dreams of opening his own business one day, his family said.

Evan also had been a lifeguard in Seaside Park while he was in high school and rescued a swimmer in distress, his family said.

"He was good-natured, even in hard times," his family said, and "consistently calm under pressure," which allowed him to become a master at pulling off practical jokes. "No one who knew Evan well got to enjoy enough time with him. But all of them are forever grateful they got the time with him they did.

Kiley, who had been a physical therapy aide intern at JAG Physical Therapy, enjoyed watching the Spring Baking Championship, playing Mario Tennis & Soccer, line dancing and country music and had a cherished collection of stuffed animal friends, with her favorite being Snoopy, her family said.

"She will be as deeply missed as she was deeply loved by all of those who knew her best," her family wrote.

In addition to being avid New Jersey Devils fans, the couple loved taking vacations in Cape May and had many hobbies, including snowboarding, spending summers at the beach and dining out at their favorite restaurants, and loved their double dates with Krista and Ryan, their families said.

Visitation for the couple is set for 4 p.m.-8 p.m. on Thursday at Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals, 145 Saint Catherine Blvd. in Toms River. The funeral Mass is set for 11:30 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, 685 Hooper Ave. in Toms River.

Kiley is survived by her parents, Phillip C. and Jocelyn Armstrong; siblings Phillip J. and his wife Jessica, Harper, and twin sister Krista; grandmother Juanita Hernandez, and many close aunts, uncles, and cousins, her family wrote in her obituary.

Evan is survived by his mother, Diana Fiore (Voorhees); his father, Gerard J. Fiore Jr., and stepmother Alban Fiore (DeLorenzo); and his siblings Emma Richardson, Gabriella Fiore, Mila Fiore, and Giada Fiore, along with a very large extended family, his family wrote in his obituary.

Previous coverage:

• 'Always Together': Route 37 Crash Victims Were Planning Futures, Families Say
  
• Support Pours In For Families Of Victims In Fatal Route 37 Crash In Toms River
• 2 Die In Route 37 Crash In Toms River As Unlicensed Teen Drove 118 MPH: Prosecutor