'Everybody's best friend': Mom remembers Mount Olive college student killed in crash

The victim of a fatal two-vehicle crash last Friday in Roxbury has been identified by authorities as Jacob Davis, 18, of Mount Olive.

A scholar, animal rescue volunteer and experienced world traveler at a young age, Davis had just completed his first year at Northeastern University, where he was studying behavioral neuroscience. After spending his first Northeastern semester studying in Dublin, Ireland, he was scheduled to embark on a summer trip to Japan later this month.

"He was ready to change the world, and he would have done it," his mother, Deborah Davis, said Friday.

Davis, a resident of the Flanders section of town, was driving on Howard Boulevard when his Mazda 3 was involved in a crash with a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at 10:30 p.m. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the Silverado was taken to Morristown Medical Center with serious injuries. His present condition is unknown.

Police have not yet released additional details of the crash, which is still under investigation, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

'Amazing guy'

Friends and family paid tribute to his memory during a prayer service on Monday that can be viewed on YouTube. His friends from Livingston High School, where he graduated in 2023, described him as "an amazing guy" and "a leader." His Northeastern friends described him as a "kind soul" who "truly listened to everything you said" and made everyone feel "like his best friend."

"He was unbelievably bright," his mother said. "He made high honor roll throughout high school. Northeastern was his first choice. He didn't even apply anywhere else."

Jacob asked his mother to accompany him to Japan for a Northeastern summer program. He self-taught himself how to proficiently speak Japanese, she said. "How many kids want their mom [to travel with them]?" Davis recalled. "But he said 'I'm going to show you Japan.' He'd never been, but he studied it and knew exactly where we should stay and things like that."

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A "Travel For Teens" trip to Japan had been planned for last June, but a spate of stormy weather scuttled that adventure. He would not be denied a trip to Asia and ended up on a three-week summer excursion to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

Part of the trip included the traveling teens participating in public service, bonding with local children studying English and volunteering in an elephant sanctuary.

His five years of volunteer work elsewhere included working with animal rescue groups.

"He cast a wide web," his mother said. "I think his best friend at college, Austin, said it best. He said Jacob said 'You only die when you're forgotten.' He will never die."