Marines killed in Jersey crash

[thedrifter]

Marines killed in Jersey crash
Sunday, February 25, 2007

By BILL WICHERT

Herald Staff Writer

RANDOLPH — Two Marines died and three others were injured after their car smashed into a tree Friday night, a few hours after one of the men was honored for saving students in a bus accident in September, police said.

Sgt. William Pascal, 27, of Newton and Staff Sgt. Eric Maul, 31, of Dover died following the crash, police said, and Sgts. Nicholas Gendron, 26, of Dover, Glendale Stamaria, 30, of Jersey City, and Thomas Sweeney, 27, of Lakeville, Pa. remained in intensive care at Morristown Memorial Hospital Saturday night.

Some of the Marines were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident, and speed is part of the reason for the crash, police said. It was not clear where the five Marines, all of whom were recruiters, were headed when the accident occurred.

Before the 8:35 p.m. accident along Franklin Road in Randolph, Gendron was one of the recipients at the Sussex County Human Spirit Award ceremony for his involvement in rescuing victims of the Sept. 28 school bus accident at the intersection of Routes 181 and 517 in Sparta.

"I figured it was just another day at the job," Gendron said after the ceremony at Sussex County Community College in Newton. "I'm glad I got to use (my training as a Marine) at the right time, for the right reasons." A fellow Marine and his wife accompanied Gendron to the award ceremony.

According to Randolph Police, Gendron was driving a government-owned 2006 Dodge Stratus on Franklin Road, near the Denville Township border, police said. For an unknown reason, the vehicle crossed the oncoming lane and ran off the road, hitting a tree, police said. When the Randolph police arrived, Gendron was conscious and alert, police said.

One of the backseat passengers was thrown from the car, police said. Maul was declared dead at the scene, and Pascal was pronounced dead at Morristown Memorial Hospital at 1:41 a.m. Saturday, police said.

The roadway has a speed limit of 25 miles per hour in Denville, and it changes to 35 miles per hour in Randolph, police said.

During the Sparta bus crash, Gendron was stopped at the red light, when he said a dump truck came flying past him and struck the driver's side of a school bus from Hopatcong High School. Gendron opened the emergency door in the rear of the bus, and helped the 16 students get to safety.

The Marine also freed the injured bus driver from her seat, and helped an injured chaperone off the bus.

"In a situation like that you're dealing with fuel (and fire) and our focus was on getting everyone out as quickly as possible," Gendron said the day of the bus crash. "I was more worried about the injured (than myself). I put myself first but my job is to protect the people of this country."

Friday's accident is still under investigation, police said. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Randolph Traffic Safety Bureau at 973-989-7021.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine recruiters in crash were a 'tight' family
Police say speed, lack of seat belts may be what left 2 dead, 2 'critical'
Monday, February 26, 2007
BY LAURA JOHNSTON
Star-Ledger Staff

The six Marines traded jokes and insults, teasing each other about their baldness, sloppy uniforms and smelly feet in their tiny Rockaway office.

Then they would head off each day to the hangouts and high schools of northwestern New Jersey, recruiting young men and women to join the ranks of the U.S. Marine Corps.

On Friday evening, five of the six piled into a government-owned Dodge Stratus for a group recruiting session. Dressed in civilian clothes, they were bound for the mall, maybe, or a high school basketball game, no one really seems sure.

But about 8:30 p.m., the car, driven by Sgt. Nicholas Gendron, veered across the opposite lane of winding Franklin Road in Randolph and struck a tree.

Sgt. William Pascal, 27, of Newton and Staff Sgt. Eric Maul, 31, who lived near Gendron on base at Picatinny Arsenal, died in the crash. Gendron, 26, was in fair condition yesterday at Morristown Memorial Hospital while Sgt. Glendale Stamaria, 30, of Jersey City, and Sgt. Thomas Sweeney, 27, of Lakeville, Pa., were in critical condition.

Fellow Marines and families -- who, away from their hometowns, often celebrated birthdays and occasions with each other -- gathered at the hospital yesterday to grieve and pray and support each other.

"That's what makes it so powerful and tragic," said Maj. Kevin Norton, the recruiters' commanding officer. "That's what makes it so painful. All the guys up here in northwest New Jersey, they were so tight."

The five recruiters were traveling on a twisty, dimly lit stretch of Franklin Road that runs parallel to Route 10, along the Denville-Randolph border, police said. The two-lane street has a speed limit of 25 mph in Denville and 35 mph in Randolph.

In the back seat, Pascal, Stamaria and Sweeney were not wearing seat belts.

Pascal, a Marine since 2001 who moved to the Rockaway recruiting station in August, had a great relationship with students, Norton said.

Johnson said Pascal, who was originally from Gloucester County, had a 2 1/2-year-old son -- also named William -- and his wife is several months pregnant. His wife, Susan Pascal, said yesterday she spoke with him by telephone just minutes before the crash.

"He was such a wonderful man. He was 110 percent Marine Corps," Susan Pascal said. "He took care of his family."

She said their son was "Bill's legacy now."

Pascal was a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan, said Sgt. Jeffrey Morella, the sixth recruiter in the Rockaway office.

"He was really outgoing," he said. "He was new to the office, but he fit in right away."

Gunnery Sgt. Courtney Johnson said Pascal was close to meeting his obligation of recruits for the month, but he went out recruiting with his buddies on Friday anyway.

"He was a Marine's Marine," Johnson said. "Since he was a team player, he was going out with his team."

Maul was the leader of the recruiting team.

A Marine since 1993 who had recruited out of Rockaway since December 2005, according to Sgt. Kevin Hayner, Maul was originally from small-town Clatskanie, Ore. He served two infantry tours in Iraq. In New Jersey, he lived with his wife Priscilla, 11-year-old son, Andrew, and daughter, Elisa, who turned 10 on Saturday.

"He is a great family man," Norton said. "He's one of those guys who cared most about his Marines and family. He was focused on family or work."

Maul also enjoyed fixing up old cars, often with Gendron, said Morella, who spent part of most days with the five recruiters. He took turns driving a pickup truck, Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Wrangler to work.

Like others in the office, Maul was outgoing and funny, always telling jokes to brighten his colleagues' moods.

"When we came to work, it was a family," Morella said. "Coming from our personal families, and going to our other families. With recruiting, you don't really have set hours. You're working to do what you have to do, working late."

After a late night, he said, the guys sometimes gathered at TGI Friday's to talk about their days and their families.

Gendron, a native of Glassboro in Gloucester County and helicopter pilot who joined the Marines in 2000, is married, Norton said. Earlier Friday, he received an award for aiding high school students in a 2006 Sussex County bus crash.

Stamaria, a Marine since 1999, hangs out often with his brother, Norton said. And Sweeney, who joined up in 1998, has a big family in eastern Pennsylvania.

But when they all arrived at the Rockaway office, they talked some sports, teased each other at their shared desks and then went to work recruiting new Marines.

The Marines are planning memorial services for Maul and Pascal.

Laura Johnston may be reached at ljohnston@starledger.com or (973) 539-7910.