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South Jersey teen wrestler dies in e-bike crash: Father and brother speak out
The identity of the teenager who died in an e-bike collision with a UPS truck in Burlington County has been released as Chase Sudano, a standout wrestler at Saint Augustine Prep.
BURLINGTON COUNTY, N.J. - The teen killed in an e-bike crash with a UPS truck in New Jersey on Tuesday has been identified as a 16-year-old student who was just days away from his birthday.
Teen killed in crash identified
What we know:
Chase Sudano was killed in the crash in Southampton Township, New Jersey, his family confirmed to FOX 29.
Credit: St. Augustine Prep School
Sudano was a member of the wrestling team at St. Augustine Prep in Richland, and was just days away from turning 17, on June 24.
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Teen on e-bike killed in collision with UPS truck in New Jersey: police
A teenage boy has died after New Jersey State Police say he was riding an e-bike and collided with a delivery truck in Burlington County Tuesday morning.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Teen on e-bike killed in collision with UPS truck in New Jersey: police
The backstory:
The crash happened around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, on Tranquility Court, according to police.
Officials said Sudano was riding an e-bike when he hit a UPS truck.
Remembering a standout athlete and student
Chase Sudano was just a few days shy of his 17th birthday and had 65 career wrestling wins in two seasons.
He was a District 29 champion and dreamed of wrestling at a Division 1 college.
"He had everything going for him and he had a lot of things to look forward to in life," said Bill Ward, head wrestling coach at Saint Augustine Preparatory School.
Sudano’s coach described him as a dedicated athlete who would practice at school and then go train elsewhere after team practices ended.
"He was very excited to get his driver's license and get a little freedom," said Tony Sudano, Chase’s father.
"He started to see that he could become a D1 wrestler. He started to really come into his own and it made him work harder," said Sudano.
Family and community share memories
Sudano’s family described him as the heartbeat of their tight knit group.
"He was more like my best friend. He was just great to be around. We could talk for hours and hours," said Tony Sudano.
"It’s kind of tough. 14 years old losing your best friend," said his younger brother, Justin. "He was outgoing. He was smart. I looked up to him."
"It’s disappointing when you see comments like oh it’s just another e-bike accident. I don’t want that to be his narrative." He added, "I just want people to remember Chase."
Sudano’s family and coach want people to remember his spirit, dedication and the positive impact he had on those around him.
New e-bike laws in New Jersey
Big picture view:
Tuesday's crash comes about a month before New Jersey's new e-bike law goes into effect.
The legislation will do things like reclassify e-bikes as motorized vehicles, require riders to be at least 17 with a driver's license, or 15 with a motorized bike license, require riders to wear a helmet, and require owners to insure and register the vehicles with the state Motor Vehicle Commission.
What we don't know:
Police have not said what they believe might have caused the crash.
What they're saying:
A spokesperson for UPS issued the following statement following Tuesday's incident.
"We are heartbroken by the tragic accident in Southampton Township, NJ. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and loved ones. We are fully cooperating with authorities to understand what happened. Since this is an active investigation, we must refer any additional questions to the authorities."
The Source: Information in this story is from Burlington County officials, the State of New Jerrsey and previous FOX 29 reporting.