A New Jersey state trooper was killed and another was injured early Saturday when their cruiser struck a deer on an interstate highway, skidded off the road and slammed into a tree.
The driver of the cruiser, 24-year-old Anthony Raspa, died of severe internal injuries sustained in the crash, which occurred at 12:48 a.m. on I-195 in Upper Freehold Township, state police officials said.
The injured trooper, Gene Hong, 29, was treated at a hospital for lacerations and a neck injury.
The two troopers were patrolling eastbound on a stretch of the highway in Monmouth County when their Ford Crown Victoria struck the deer, said state police Capt. Stephen Jones. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Raspa was a 2013 graduate of the state police academy. He lived in Middlesex County and was based at the Hamilton Township station in Mercer County.
In a statement posted Saturday afternoon on the state police's Facebook page, Raspa's family said he was "a phenomenal young man with a heart of gold and a passion for life." They also said he was passionate about working in law enforcement and took great pride in being a trooper.
