another guardian angel *
this is really gonna blow up everyone's friends pages; my apologies.
Memorial Day crash kills 2 teens
Belleville women were best friends on way home from visit to Shore
Thursday, June 01, 2006
BY KASI ADDISONStar-Ledger Staff
Two Belleville teens died from injuries suffered when their car crashed off the Garden State Parkway as they headed home from the Shore on Memorial Day, authorities said.
The driver, Diana Reyes, 18, died at the scene and her best friend and front-seat passenger, Tatiana Almagro, 19, died early Tuesday morning at Atlantic City Medical Center, authorities said. A second passenger, Karen Saenz, 19, of West Orange, sustained minor injuries and was released from the hospital.
After a day at Wildwood's beach, the teens were heading home about 3:30 p.m. Monday on the northbound Parkway when Reyes lost control of the 2005 Scion near milepost 43 in Galloway Township, State Police spokesman Lt. Gerald Lewis said.
The car swerved off the highway and into a berm, and rolled over several times before coming to rest in the woods, he said. The accident remains under investigation.
After learning about the crash, friends of the victims transformed the MySpace Web pages of Alma gro and Reyes into memorials.
Among the many messages left on Almagro's page was one from "Jellybean" who, according to her biography, lives in Wisconsin.
"r.i.p mama you & ur grl were inseperable thats why God took ya home together* you're watching over everyone you love now & hopefully you protect them from things that will harm them and hurt everyone around them," she wrote, signing the missive "erika."
MySpace, a social-networking Web site geared toward teens and young adults, is popular for its chat rooms, Weblogs, music downloads and photo galleries.
It also has become a place to grieve.
"People are looking for ways to connect, and MySpace pages are people's calling cards online," said Sreenath Sreenivasan, a new media professor at Columbia University Journalism School. "This is where people turn as you would with any community."
Seeing all the condolences left on Reyes' page was a surprise for her cousin, Vanessa Piloto.
"I just went to see pictures of her, and the messages were right there," she said. "I didn't know she had so many friends."
Since a lot of people use the MySpace site, it made sense to post news of Almagro's death on her Web page, said her 18-year-old cousin, Lewis Jerez.
"Everybody has it and everybody loves Tati, and we wanted to let everybody know," he said. The postings prompted people to call and come to the family's home to pay respects, he said.
Also, it was a way to get out feelings about her death, he said.
"By leaving her a message she would, I don't know, probably read it and from the bottom of my heart she would know we're leaving the love right there," Jerez said.
Almagro and Reyes were described by family members as caring, cheerful, silly, funny and smart. Almagro was known for her bubbly personality and generosity, and Reyes for her fashion sense, "corny" jokes, and smile.
Almagro was in her first year at Essex County College. Reyes, who has roots in Cuba and Columbia, was studying at Kean University to be a bilingual teacher. Both graduated from Belleville High School in 2005.
"Never in our lives will we forget her, and we will always keep in her our heart," said Reyes' mother, Diana Reyes, through a translator.
A viewing for Almagro will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at Funeraria Santa Cruz, 253 Mount Prospect Ave., Newark.
Reyes' wake will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. today at Necker-Sharpe Morgado Funeral Home, 525 45th St., Union City. A funeral service will be held at 9 a.m. tomorrow at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Grove Church Cemetery, 1132 46th St., North Bergen.
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Rest In Peace Diana. We miss you. We love you. Thanks for all the priceless memories.
October 13, 1987 - May 29, 2006
Memorial Day crash kills 2 teens
Belleville women were best friends on way home from visit to Shore
Thursday, June 01, 2006
BY KASI ADDISONStar-Ledger Staff
Two Belleville teens died from injuries suffered when their car crashed off the Garden State Parkway as they headed home from the Shore on Memorial Day, authorities said.
The driver, Diana Reyes, 18, died at the scene and her best friend and front-seat passenger, Tatiana Almagro, 19, died early Tuesday morning at Atlantic City Medical Center, authorities said. A second passenger, Karen Saenz, 19, of West Orange, sustained minor injuries and was released from the hospital.
After a day at Wildwood's beach, the teens were heading home about 3:30 p.m. Monday on the northbound Parkway when Reyes lost control of the 2005 Scion near milepost 43 in Galloway Township, State Police spokesman Lt. Gerald Lewis said.
The car swerved off the highway and into a berm, and rolled over several times before coming to rest in the woods, he said. The accident remains under investigation.
After learning about the crash, friends of the victims transformed the MySpace Web pages of Alma gro and Reyes into memorials.
Among the many messages left on Almagro's page was one from "Jellybean" who, according to her biography, lives in Wisconsin.
"r.i.p mama you & ur grl were inseperable thats why God took ya home together* you're watching over everyone you love now & hopefully you protect them from things that will harm them and hurt everyone around them," she wrote, signing the missive "erika."
MySpace, a social-networking Web site geared toward teens and young adults, is popular for its chat rooms, Weblogs, music downloads and photo galleries.
It also has become a place to grieve.
"People are looking for ways to connect, and MySpace pages are people's calling cards online," said Sreenath Sreenivasan, a new media professor at Columbia University Journalism School. "This is where people turn as you would with any community."
Seeing all the condolences left on Reyes' page was a surprise for her cousin, Vanessa Piloto.
"I just went to see pictures of her, and the messages were right there," she said. "I didn't know she had so many friends."
Since a lot of people use the MySpace site, it made sense to post news of Almagro's death on her Web page, said her 18-year-old cousin, Lewis Jerez.
"Everybody has it and everybody loves Tati, and we wanted to let everybody know," he said. The postings prompted people to call and come to the family's home to pay respects, he said.
Also, it was a way to get out feelings about her death, he said.
"By leaving her a message she would, I don't know, probably read it and from the bottom of my heart she would know we're leaving the love right there," Jerez said.
Almagro and Reyes were described by family members as caring, cheerful, silly, funny and smart. Almagro was known for her bubbly personality and generosity, and Reyes for her fashion sense, "corny" jokes, and smile.
Almagro was in her first year at Essex County College. Reyes, who has roots in Cuba and Columbia, was studying at Kean University to be a bilingual teacher. Both graduated from Belleville High School in 2005.
"Never in our lives will we forget her, and we will always keep in her our heart," said Reyes' mother, Diana Reyes, through a translator.
A viewing for Almagro will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at Funeraria Santa Cruz, 253 Mount Prospect Ave., Newark.
Reyes' wake will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. today at Necker-Sharpe Morgado Funeral Home, 525 45th St., Union City. A funeral service will be held at 9 a.m. tomorrow at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Grove Church Cemetery, 1132 46th St., North Bergen.
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Rest In Peace Diana. We miss you. We love you. Thanks for all the priceless memories.
October 13, 1987 - May 29, 2006