NJ high school coaches among 6 killed in car that flew into Skyway

NEWARK — Two celebrated high school coaches were among the six people killed in an explosive car crash at the Pulaski Skyway on Friday night.

Hudson Catholic Regional High School Head Coach and physical education teacher Lamar McKnight, 32, and assistant coach Brad Cunningham, 41, who once played football at Rutgers University, were identified in published reports as two of the victims.

Authorities investigating the gruesome crash did not release the names of the victims on Saturday.

The car had been traveling on Raymond Boulevard when it somehow went airborne off the Pulaski ramp and crashed into a bridge support column. The crash happened around 10:47 p.m., the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said.

The car was in flames when first responders arrived.

Newark police told RLS Metro Breaking News the six individuals inside the vehicle suffered "catastrophic burn injuries" and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Messages of grief circulated on social media when the identifies of the Jersey City coaches became known.

“We are saddened to hear of an accident involving Brad Cunningham, Coach McKnight and four others last night,” Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano said on X.

“Brad Cunningham, member of our first recruiting class, laid the foundation of the Rutgers football program. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brad’s family and the entire Hudson Catholic football family.”

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said the two coaches had “touched countless lives through their dedication to our youth.”

"We stand united in offering support during this difficult time,” he said on a message shared on the city’s X account.

As a high school football and basketball player in 2008 and 2009, McKnight helped lead winning seasons for Lincoln High School in Jersey City. He founded the Lamar McKnight Quarterback Academy in 2017, which has trained some of the top quarterbacks in the Northeast.

Cunningham graduated Hudson Catholic and was one of Schiano’s first recruits in 2001.

After learning the news, a Hudson Catholic student shared a heartfelt tribute to Cunningham.

“I want to thank you for making me a better athlete and a better man at life,” junior Amori McNeil said on Instagram. “Without you I don’t know where I would be right now.”

“All the long drives we took up to colleges, to camps and everything. You was my role model [and] someone that I looked up to and able to see my older self.”