Two Somerset County men killed in train strikes; probe continues into third fatality

20/12/2023

Two Somerset County residents were killed last week in separate train crashes, and NJ Transit has yet to identify a third victim who was struck by a train in Bernards on Monday afternoon. Joseph DeBari, 21, of Bridgewater, died Dec.

13 when he was struck by an NJ Transit train on the Morris & Essex Line near the South Orange station. Keith Harvey, 36, of Montgomery, died Dec.

15 when he was struck by a Long Island Rail Road train at Penn Station in Manhattan. NJ Transit has not yet identified a man who was fatally struck by an NJ Transit train near the Basking Ridge station on the Gladstone Branch on the Morris & Essex Line at about 3 p.m. Monday.

DeBari, a lifelong resident of Bridgewater, was a graduate of Bridgewater-Raritan High School and was a junior accounting major at Seton Hall University, according to his obituary at Kearns Funeral Home [1] in Readington. DeBari was a sportswriter for The Stillman Exchange, the official business publication of Seton Hall. “There are no adequate words to express the sorrow we feel at the death of one of our own community members,” Interim Seton Hall President Katia Passerini said in a statement to The Setonian [2], the school newspaper. “Especially a student in the prime of life.

The depth of this loss affects all of us immensely and personally.” A total of £77,000 had been raised in a GoFundMe campaign [3] by Tuesday afternoon to benefit Harvey’s wife and two children who live in the Belle Mead section of Montgomery. According to Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Police, Harvey was on the way home after a holiday party.

Authorities say the death was accidental. Obituary information for Harvey was not available. New Jersey Transit Police are continuing the investigation into the fatality in Bernards.

No injuries were reported on the westbound train from Hoboken to Gladstone. Email: [email protected] Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com.

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References

^ obituary at Kearns Funeral Home (kearnsfuneralhome.com)
^ said in a statement to The Setonian (thesetonian.com)
^ GoFundMe campaign (gofundme.com)