‘I can’t do anything except pray’ — TCNJ vigil for victims of deadly crash

EWING — Michael Sot was at peace when he eventually succumbed to injuries sustained days earlier in a head-on crash involving an alleged drunk driver.

According to his father, the College of New Jersey sophomore was only ready to let go after his brother arrived at his bedside from Boston.

"Michael touched so many lives," Michael Sot, the victim's father, told an overflow crowd at a candlelight vigil on the TCNJ campus. "The truth is that he was touching lives since he was born, right up until he took his last breath."

The 20-year-old had been serving as the designated driver for five passengers, including four TCNJ students, in the early morning hours of Dec. 2 when another vehicle, allegedly driven by a man with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit, swerved into oncoming traffic.

Mr. Sot, and parents of the other TCNJ students involved in the crash — all of whom are still receiving medical care for serious injuries — took a turn at the microphone Wednesday evening.

"My son Ryan has been in the ICU for the past 11 days, and I feel powerless," Eric Moore said. "I want to do so much and I can't do anything except pray and pray."

Daniel DeFlores said his daughter Danielle on Thursday would begin "the next phase in what appears to be a relatively long road to recovery." She's being transported to an inpatient rehabilitation facility.

"We don't know yet if Danielle will ever be exactly the same as she was before this tragic accident, but we are very encouraged and so thankful to God for allowing her to get where she is today," DeFlores said.

Each parent speaker took a moment to thank the TCNJ community for its support — in and out of the hospital — since the incident.

"The people from the school and the fraternity who came numerous times always seemed to be there when we got to our lowest points," said Frank Galante, father of passenger Anthony Galante.

Galante and Moore are brothers of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, as was Sot.

Matthew DeGenova, 21, is also attempting to recover from injuries. A fifth passenger, Ryan Moore's girlfriend, has been released from the hospital.

Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.

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