Sgt Jon
08-14-2008, 13:53
Crash kills cop from Robbinsville
Second officer was at the wheel of the car that hit pole on Route 130
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
BY TOM HAYDON AND CHRISTOPHER DELA CRUZ
Newhouse News Service
A veteran North Brunswick police lieutenant from Robbinsville was killed yesterday when the rented sports car a fellow officer was driving veered off Route 130 and crashed into a utility pole, authorities said.
Lt. Christopher Zerby, 41, was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick following the acci dent in the township. Zerby, who grew up in North Brunswick, had been a township police officer for more than 16 years. For about the past year, he had been head of the department's traffic safety division. He was married with two young sons.
"Chris was a great police officer," North Brunswick Lt. Roger Reinson said during a press conference at town hall, where flags had been lowered to half-staff. "He had two children and he spent a lot of time with them."
Lt. Keith Buckley, 40, of Jackson, was driving the 2006 Dodge Viper convertible; Zerby was in the passenger seat, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said. He declined to say who had rented the car.
Both officers were on duty at the time of the 11:06 a.m. crash, authorities said. Other details about the accident, which occurred on the southbound side of Route 130, remain under investigation.
Reinson said the two officers were close friends.
Buckley, an 18-year-veteran who heads the 84-member department's patrol division, was taken to Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was listed in stable condition last night, a hospital spokeswoman said.
"The entire department is in shock over the loss of a dedicated officer," Deputy Police Chief Jo seph Battaglia said.
"This is especially tragic for the township," said Mayor Francis "Mac" Womack, who went to Robert Wood Johnson hospital to comfort Zerby's family. "Lt. Zerby was raised here, he went to North Brunswick High School. Even if he hadn't been on the police force, you knew him around the town. This is a great loss for the township."
Womack described Zerby as "a soft-spoken man. Anyone -- child, adult, senior -- you could feel close to him."
The cause of the accident re mains under investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and the North Brunswick police, Kaplan said. The accident oc curred about a mile from police headquarters.
Jess Crouch, of North Brunswick, said she drove past the acci dent moments after the car crashed into the utility pole and before police arrived. She said the convertible top was down and the car appeared to have turned 180 degrees.
"I saw the guy in the passenger seat, unconscious," Crouch said. "The car was smoking. It had to have spun around and hit the pole. I started crying, I started shaking."
Zerby lived with his wife Christine, and two sons Trevor and Tyler, a few blocks from Route 130 in Robbinsville, on a quiet street that is home to seven large Colonial-style houses. Each home sits on an ample and meticulously landscaped lot. A tall white picket fence envelops the Zerbys' large backyard with a jungle gym and swing set.
One North Brunswick police squad car, sometimes two, was parked outside the house yesterday. A few hours after the accident, about nine neighbors and their children streamed out of their houses and gathered in a driveway to discuss the shock over the acci dent that took the life of a man they said "would do anything to help."
The neighbors, who declined to be identified in fear of upsetting the family, recalled often seeing Zerby and his two sons, ages 7 and 4, riding their bikes around the cul- de-sac. During the school year, he often lined up the children awaiting the bus and made sure they boarded safely.
"He was a jokester," said one man. The nicest guy in the world."
One neighbor said Zerby teased her for calling on him to change numerous flat tires.
"He was the kind of guy you could trust," said another neighbor. Zerby was supposed to dog-sit while her family went away overnight. "Anything you needed, he was there. He was someone you would trust."
Zerby's parents, Donald and Sara Zerby, still live in North Brunswick, but were vacationing in Florida yesterday, Womack said. The accident scene is less than a mile from Zerby's childhood home.
Word of his death was met with shock from longtime neighbors of the Zerby family, who lived off Route 130 on Sherman Road for decades.
"He wanted to be a police officer all his life," said Laurie Currier. "He's just a wonderful guy. He was just such a good person. He's been a model policeman."
Zerby worked as an officer for the Middlesex County parks before taking a job with the North Brunswick police in 1993.
"He was just a model human being," said Currier's daughter, Sandra. "He put others before him self. He showed that when he was a police officer."
Carolyn Kashian, another neighbor, said Zerby was frequently at his parents' home, helping them around the house.
"As a kid, he would help me carry in my groceries," Kashian said, adding that his generosity didn't stop after he moved from the neighborhood. "He would al ways be at the house helping out, doing yard work. He would mow his parents' lawn. He was such a kind person."
Peter Sisco, a childhood friend, said Zerby and his parents were close.
"When his parents go to Florida, he washes their car, checks the oil," Sisco said. "It snows, he's down here shoveling the snow. You couldn't ask for anything more from a son."
Second officer was at the wheel of the car that hit pole on Route 130
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
BY TOM HAYDON AND CHRISTOPHER DELA CRUZ
Newhouse News Service
A veteran North Brunswick police lieutenant from Robbinsville was killed yesterday when the rented sports car a fellow officer was driving veered off Route 130 and crashed into a utility pole, authorities said.
Lt. Christopher Zerby, 41, was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick following the acci dent in the township. Zerby, who grew up in North Brunswick, had been a township police officer for more than 16 years. For about the past year, he had been head of the department's traffic safety division. He was married with two young sons.
"Chris was a great police officer," North Brunswick Lt. Roger Reinson said during a press conference at town hall, where flags had been lowered to half-staff. "He had two children and he spent a lot of time with them."
Lt. Keith Buckley, 40, of Jackson, was driving the 2006 Dodge Viper convertible; Zerby was in the passenger seat, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said. He declined to say who had rented the car.
Both officers were on duty at the time of the 11:06 a.m. crash, authorities said. Other details about the accident, which occurred on the southbound side of Route 130, remain under investigation.
Reinson said the two officers were close friends.
Buckley, an 18-year-veteran who heads the 84-member department's patrol division, was taken to Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was listed in stable condition last night, a hospital spokeswoman said.
"The entire department is in shock over the loss of a dedicated officer," Deputy Police Chief Jo seph Battaglia said.
"This is especially tragic for the township," said Mayor Francis "Mac" Womack, who went to Robert Wood Johnson hospital to comfort Zerby's family. "Lt. Zerby was raised here, he went to North Brunswick High School. Even if he hadn't been on the police force, you knew him around the town. This is a great loss for the township."
Womack described Zerby as "a soft-spoken man. Anyone -- child, adult, senior -- you could feel close to him."
The cause of the accident re mains under investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and the North Brunswick police, Kaplan said. The accident oc curred about a mile from police headquarters.
Jess Crouch, of North Brunswick, said she drove past the acci dent moments after the car crashed into the utility pole and before police arrived. She said the convertible top was down and the car appeared to have turned 180 degrees.
"I saw the guy in the passenger seat, unconscious," Crouch said. "The car was smoking. It had to have spun around and hit the pole. I started crying, I started shaking."
Zerby lived with his wife Christine, and two sons Trevor and Tyler, a few blocks from Route 130 in Robbinsville, on a quiet street that is home to seven large Colonial-style houses. Each home sits on an ample and meticulously landscaped lot. A tall white picket fence envelops the Zerbys' large backyard with a jungle gym and swing set.
One North Brunswick police squad car, sometimes two, was parked outside the house yesterday. A few hours after the accident, about nine neighbors and their children streamed out of their houses and gathered in a driveway to discuss the shock over the acci dent that took the life of a man they said "would do anything to help."
The neighbors, who declined to be identified in fear of upsetting the family, recalled often seeing Zerby and his two sons, ages 7 and 4, riding their bikes around the cul- de-sac. During the school year, he often lined up the children awaiting the bus and made sure they boarded safely.
"He was a jokester," said one man. The nicest guy in the world."
One neighbor said Zerby teased her for calling on him to change numerous flat tires.
"He was the kind of guy you could trust," said another neighbor. Zerby was supposed to dog-sit while her family went away overnight. "Anything you needed, he was there. He was someone you would trust."
Zerby's parents, Donald and Sara Zerby, still live in North Brunswick, but were vacationing in Florida yesterday, Womack said. The accident scene is less than a mile from Zerby's childhood home.
Word of his death was met with shock from longtime neighbors of the Zerby family, who lived off Route 130 on Sherman Road for decades.
"He wanted to be a police officer all his life," said Laurie Currier. "He's just a wonderful guy. He was just such a good person. He's been a model policeman."
Zerby worked as an officer for the Middlesex County parks before taking a job with the North Brunswick police in 1993.
"He was just a model human being," said Currier's daughter, Sandra. "He put others before him self. He showed that when he was a police officer."
Carolyn Kashian, another neighbor, said Zerby was frequently at his parents' home, helping them around the house.
"As a kid, he would help me carry in my groceries," Kashian said, adding that his generosity didn't stop after he moved from the neighborhood. "He would al ways be at the house helping out, doing yard work. He would mow his parents' lawn. He was such a kind person."
Peter Sisco, a childhood friend, said Zerby and his parents were close.
"When his parents go to Florida, he washes their car, checks the oil," Sisco said. "It snows, he's down here shoveling the snow. You couldn't ask for anything more from a son."