REVEALED: Single father, 34, his two daughters, 5 and 9, and niece, 8, were not wearing seatbelts when they all died in a horror crash minute from home
- George Ritter was driving home daughters Alivia, 5, Elsie, 9 and niece Kenzie, 8
- He crashed into a utility pole after leaving a toddler’s birthday party at 9pm
- Police say they weren’t wearing seatbelts and Ritter may have been speeding
A father, his two young daughters and his niece who were killed in a horror car crash while driving home from a birthday party were not wearing seatbelts at the time, police have said.
George Ritter, 33, his daughters Alivia, five, and Elsie, nine, and niece Kenzie Mammoccio, eight, died in the car wreck in Westville, New Jersey, on Saturday night.
They were returning home from a toddler’s party at Westville Power Boat Association when Ritter’s 1987 black Ford Mustang hit a utility pole.
George Ritter, 33 (left), daughters Elsie (top right) and Alivia (left), and his niece Kenzie Mammoccio (bottom right) died after he crashed into a utility pole
Kenzie’s father, Brian Mammoccio (right, pictured with Kenzie), said to ABC6 ‘Cherish every moment you have with your children’
The car crash in Gloucester County, New Jersey, claimed the lives of four members of the same family
Westville police chief William Whinna said the driver may have been speeding at the time and the car had been modified with specialized tires and a roll cage designed to race at private tracks.
Police have also ordered a toxicology report on the father.
The family were just minutes away from home when the crash happened around 9pm.
Kenzie’s father, Brian Mammoccio, said to ABC6: ‘Cherish every moment you have with your children because you never know when that moment can be taken away. I only got eight years with mine.
‘I wish I could have her here next to me, give her one last hug because I never got to say goodbye to her.
‘She was caring and honest and full of life and spark,’ said Mammoccio about her daughter, Kenzie
Ritter, Alivia, Elsie and Kenzie were returning from a birthday party at the Westville Power Boat Association
Mourners have left teddy bears and flowers on the place of the crash to pay respect for the victims
‘She was caring and honest and full of life and spark.’
The crash happened on the 1000 block of Gateway Boulevard in Westville.
Mourners have paid their respects to the victims by leaving teddy bears and flowers at the site of the crash.
The Westville Power Boat Association is organizing a fundraiser to cover the cost of the funerals.
The GoFundMe page description read: ‘They have touched the lives of so many and it’s our turn to show our appreciation for George and the girls one last time.’
More than 700 people have donated around $48,000 of the $50,000 goal.
The Westville Power Boat Association has organized a fundraiser to cover the funerals cost
Brian Mammocio (right) pictured with his daughter Kenzie (left). ‘I wish I could have her here next to me, give her one last hug because I never got to say goodbye to her,’ said Mammocio