14-year-old aspiring cop killed by pickup truck in Manville, NJ, officials say

MANVILLE — High school freshman George Watkins has been identified as the teenager who was struck and killed by a pickup truck Tuesday evening.

The 14-year-old was crossing North Main Street towards the Marketplace Mall at around 6:30 p.m. when he was hit by a 2019 Ford F-150, according to police.

Police and medical personnel rendered first aid before he was taken by chopper to the trauma center at RWJ University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The driver of the pickup truck, a 40-year-old Somerset County man, remained on the scene and has been cooperating with police. The truck was towed from the scene for "forensic and technological examination," police said.

No charges have been filed, but the investigation is ongoing, police said.

Watkins was on the Manville High School basketball team and was planning to play baseball in the spring, cops said. He aspired to be a police officer and acted as a mentor to younger children in the Plainfield Junior Police Academy.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Manville Police Traffic Safety Unit at 908-725-1900, ext. 610, or the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office at 908-575-3300.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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