Newark crash kills 6 when car hits Pulaski Skyway column, investigators say
NEWARK, N.J. -- Six people died in a fiery crash in Newark, New Jersey when the car they were in smashed into a support column under the Pulaski Skyway.
The crash happened late Friday night by Raymond Boulevard and Blanchard Street, near a southbound entrance ramp to the freeway, investigators said.
Police did not immediately release the victims' names, but Natasha McKnight of Jersey City told CBS News New York two of her sons were killed.
Vehicle burst into flames after crashing
According to a recent report, deadly crashes are on the rise this year in New Jersey.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office said the car in Newark went off-road and was airborne when it struck the column, killing all six people inside.
It burst into flames after landing on the ground, the prosecutor's office said. Video from the scene shows the vehicle's charred remains under the overpass.
The crash remains under investigation.
Mother loses 2 sons in fatal crash
McKnight said her two oldest sons, Darryl and Lamar, were killed in the crash.
"Until I find out exactly what happened... I'm not sure I want to know. I just want to bury my kids. I just want to put my kids where they need to be," McKnight said.
She said it wasn't police but rather a mother's intuition that alerted her something was wrong.
"I check my kids' location all day, all night, every day. And those two never turn them off. So when I noticed that, I looked at one of them and the other one was like, the phone was right next to his. I knew something, and it was there for too many hours. So I started to worry," McKnight said. "I drove to and found out on social media that it was an accident ... And you see my son's bumper, and that's how I was able to identify that they were in that car."
McKnight says her two sons, ages 33 and 32, brought laughter everywhere they went and served as role models for the neighborhood they grew up in.
Darryl McKnight, his mom says, was a counselor who most recently started working for the state. Lamar McKnight was a star college football player turned coach, first for Union City, then recently for Hudson Catholic Regional High School.
"He just had his first season and made it one game short of the championship ... Those are my heart. Those are my everything," McKnight said.
McKnight is staying strong for her eight other children, ages 17 and under, with support from her community.
"I want them to remember, as anybody that they had inspired, to continue to do what they're doing in school. Go to college, play ball like they loved. One played basketball, one played football ... A lot of kids out here, they mentored, and I need them to continue. Everyone out here, any children that's out here that's under that, to continue," she said.
A candlelight memorial and balloon release was held Saturday night.
"I loved my sons. They lived ... They enjoyed life. You see the support I have out here. It's been going all day, and that's what helps healing," McKnight said.
State Sen. Angela McKnight, whose husband is the cousin of the brothers, says the two were role models in the community.
"It's a terrible loss to our family, to the community and to the other individuals who passed as well," she said.
Natasha McKnight said two other crash victims were also relatives, but she did not want to provide their names at this time.
