TCNJ crash victim laid to rest Monday

CLARK — The designated driver in last Sunday's horrific crash on Route 31 involving five TCNJ students will be laid to rest on Monday.

Michael Sot was behind the wheel of his 2017 Dodge Charger, heading northbound near the school's Ewing campus, when David Lamar V, 22, of West Windsor passed another vehicle and went into Sot's lane, hitting him head-on, according to Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri. Lamar's passenger was also injured in the crash.

Friends came to remember Sot at a viewing at the Higgins and Bonner Funeral Home in Westfield on Sunday. Aerial pictures show people lined up down the sidewalk in the cold, waiting to pay their respects to the math major.

"Those that knew Michael remember him as an individual that would always put others before himself. He was a trusted and a caring friend to all, and always did the right thing," read his obituary.

Sot's funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at St. John the Apostle Church in Clark.

The other victims of the crash continue to recover from severe injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to brain injuries.

Anthony Galante, 19, a finance major from North Bellmore, New York, requires orthopedic surgery to both legs and a hand, according to his GoFundMe page. He cannot be moved from a Bucks County hospital where he was initially brought until his fever comes down

Phi Kappa Psi, the fraternity that many of the TCNJ students belonged to, continues to accept donations on a GoFundMe page to assist families with expenses.

Lamar faces a vehicular homicide charge plus second-degree counts of assault by auto for each of the victims. He was also charged with DWI, and operating without insurance and a license.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.