Daycare worker identified as passenger killed in crash with New Jersey police cruiser

State officials on Tuesday identified the woman who died in a crash involving a marked police cruiser over Memorial Day weekend.

Franklin Borough Police Sgt. William Grissom was on duty behind the wheel of the police cruiser that struck a vehicle carrying two people, including Deanna D'Arco, 19, of Vernon, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said. D'Arco died in the accident.

Borough police directed questions about Grissom's status within the department to the state Division of Criminal Justice. Grissom enrolled in the state police retirement pension in 2006, earning about $111,000 a year, retirement records show.

D'Arco was a passenger in the vehicle when he was struck by Grissom's car around 10:41 p.m. on May 27 at the intersection of Route 23 and Walsh Street, the attorney general's office said.

She was taken to Morristown Medical Center and died May 29, officials said. The driver of the vehicle was treated for his injuries and released.

D'Arco was an educational assistant at Little Learner Academy in Jefferson Township, according to her obituary. An email to the daycare for comment was not immediately returned.

Grissom, officials previously said, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. State authorities released no further information Tuesday about the accident.

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Eric Conklin can be reached at [email protected].