Woman, 19, Killed After Crash With Police In Sussex County: Officials

SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ — A 19-year-old New Jersey woman has been identified as the passenger who died after a police car crashed into the vehicle she was in on Memorial Day.

The collision happened near the intersection of State Route 23 and Walsh Road shortly after 10:40 a.m. on Memorial Day, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said last week.

According to Platkin, the collision involved an on-duty Franklin police officer in a department vehicle, and a civilian car. Authorities have not provided further details on how the crash happened.

A female passenger in the car suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, officials said. She was taken to Morristown Medical Center, where she died two days later.

Family members and other media outlets have identified the passenger as Deanna "Dee Dee" D'Arco, of Vernon. A GoFundMe has been set up to help her family with funeral and medical expenses, and has raised close to $15,000 as of Monday morning.

D'Arco was also an organ donor, and was able to save other peoples' lives through the New Jersey Sharing Network, her family said. She worked as a teacher's assistant at Little Learners Academy in Jefferson Township after graduating from the New Jersey Youth Corps, according to her obituary.

"Dee Dee's vibrant spirit, warm heart, and incredible legacy of giving left a lasting impression on everyone she met," reads her obituary with Gaita Memorial Home in Little Falls.

A visitation is set for Tuesday, June 4 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Gaita Memorial Home, 154 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Little Falls. Friends and relatives may also attend a funeral Mass on Wednesday, June 5 at 10:15 a.m., held at St. Bonaventure R.C. Church, 174 Ramsey Street, Paterson.