"I was told it was a 19-year-old male heading southbound in the pickup," township police Chief Richard Jaramillo said in an email Saturday afternoon. "It appears as if lack of patience/inattentive driving is the main reason for the crash."
WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- An off-duty police officer has been killed in a highway crash that left his wife and three children injured.
Vineland police say 33-year-old Charlie Amadei was a passenger in a minivan that was eastbound on Route 322 in Woolwich Township when the vehicle and a pickup truck collided shortly before 4 p.m. Friday.
Amadei's wife and their three children - ages 14, 2, and 1 - were all treated at a hospital for minor injuries. The pickup truck driver was not injured.
Authorities say Amadei was a Vineland resident who served a special officer with the city's police force. But it wasn't clear Saturday how long he had served with the department.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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Vineland police officer killed in auto accident
Updated on June 17, 2017
By Matt Gray
mgray@njadvancemedia.com,
For NJ.com
WOOLWICH TWP. -- An off-duty Vineland police officer was killed in a two-vehicle crash Friday afternoon, township police confirmed.
Charlie Amadei, 33, of Vineland, was a passenger in a minivan traveling eastbound on Route 322 at Garwin Road when the crash occurred shortly before 4 p.m., Chief Richard Jaramillo said.
"We believe this tragic crash occurred due to another motorist failing to stop or yield at an intersection," Jaramillo said.
The minivan collided with a pickup truck traveling southbound on Garwin.
Amadei was traveling with his wife and three kids, ages 14, 2, and 1, the chief said. They were transported to a hospital with minor injuries.
The pickup driver, identified as a 19-year-old man, was evaluated at the scene and released with tickets pending completion of the investigation, Jaramillo said.
Amadei was employed as a special officer with the Vineland Police Department.
================
VINELAND – A Father’s Day weekend crash claimed the life of Charles Amadei, known as a hard-working family man and beloved Vineland police special officer.
Amadei, 33, of Vineland, died in a two-vehicle collision Friday afternoon along Route 322, near Garwin Road, in Woolwich Township.
“It’s tragic,” Vineland Police Chief Rudy Beu told The Daily Journal on Saturday.
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Amadei was employed by the Vineland Police Department as a Special Law Enforcement Officer 1 for many years.
“It’s a sad day for the city of Vineland Police Department; our thoughts and prayers go out to the Amadei family during this very difficult time,” the chief said.
Amadei was a passenger in a minivan that also carried his family including his wife, Michelle, and three children.
"We believe this tragic crash occurred due to another motorist failing to stop or yield at an intersection," Woolwich Police Chief Richard W. Jaramillo said.
The driver of the other vehicle, a pickup truck, was evaluated at the scene and released, with tickets pending completion of the investigation, Jaramillo said.
Mayor Anthony Fanucci has ordered that flags be lowered to half-staff the day of Amadei’s funeral, which has not been announced.
“He’s one of our own,” Fanucci said. “Since I’ve known him for a while and I’ve known him personally. I’m still in shock.”
The paths of Amadei and the mayor seemed to cross about once a week.
“We would talk about family and general stuff going on,” Fanucci said. “He was a helluva nice guy.”
At the police department, Amadei was an asset to the Vineland Police Athletic League as well as the community police unit.
City Councilman Al Vargas, the former Vineland PAL director, was a longtime friend of Amadei.
“He would give you the shirt off his back,” Vargas said, noting Amadei’s generous nature.
“He would be my Santa Claus, he was the Bunny, he never said no to me,” Vargas said.
Amadei seemed to have a never-ending network of contacts he used to help fill the PAL donation wish list.
"'No problem, Al,' he would say, and it would happen,” Vargas said. “He became a true good friend of mine.”
Just a week before the crash, Vargas had seen Amadei, who was volunteering at the Vineland Police Fishing Derby at South Vineland Park.
Last year, the Vineland PAL dedicated its fishing derby to William J. Amadei, who had succumbed to cancer.
In her husband’s obituary, Debra Amadei requested memorial donations be directed to the PAL Fishing Derby. Fishing was a bonding experience for her family, and Debra Amadei said she wanted to help other families make some happy memories.
Charles Amadei helped organize the event honoring his father-in-law.
“He was a responsible family guy,” Vargas said. “He was truly a gentleman.”
“We spoke yesterday,” Vargas said Saturday. “Just hours before he was killed, he texted me and I called him right back at 1:11; it’s still on my phone.”
At the end of the conversation, Amadei said, “Al, I’ll talk to you later,” Vargas recalled.
The crash, just three hours later, would take the young man’s life.
(Photo: Joe Lamberti/Staff Photographer)
Amadei was interested in getting a municipal job and asked Vargas to let him know of any upcoming vacancies.
In addition to his police position, Amadei worked for Wawa and was currently based in Atlantic County, Vargas said.
“He wanted to come to closer to home and he wanted be closer to his family,” the councilman said. “He was applying for the road department. We had some seasonal jobs open that he wanted to try and move in to get a full-time job.”
Vargas said he told him, “You would definitely have my recommendation.”
“He was always involved with us with National Night Out,” said Jason Scalzi, a retired police officer. “He was a SLEO 1 but he would always volunteer his time.”
“He had such great connections with the community — he was always a huge asset in raising funds and getting donations for National Night Out,” said Scalzi, noting Amadei “did all that on his time, without getting paid for it.”
“He knew everybody,” Scalzi said “He was well-loved guy in the community, he was self-sacrificing."
“He always gave of his own free time for the betterment of the community and for the betterment of the department,” added Scalzi, who said he praying for the Amadei family.
“Every year, he worked National Night Out, he would be one of our lead volunteers,” said Tom Ulrich, a retired Vineland police captain.
“Whatever you needed, he had connections everywhere and could get people to be part of National Night Out,” Ulrich said. “You name it, he could put his hands on it,”
Working as a Wawa gas pumps manager, Amadei also would help others, Ulrich said.
“If you knew someone who needed a job … he would offer to help them out,” he said. “He got both of my stepsons jobs at Wawa pumping gas when they were young.”
“He was hard-working and reliable. You didn’t have to worry about him not showing up,” Ulrich said. “If you gave him a task to do, he would complete it."
“I don’t know of anybody that that kid wouldn’t help out,” Ulrich said.
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2 accidents within 8 hours leave off-duty cop dead, another man fighting for life
Posted on June 17, 2017 at 4:21 PM
By Bill Duhart
bduhart@njadvancemedia.com,
For NJ.com
WOOLWICH, NJ -- A one-car accident here early Saturday morning has sent a 20-year-old man to the hospital with critical injuries, township police Chief Richard Jaramillo said.
It was the second major accident in the township within eight hours. The other wreck, at 4:30 p.m. Friday, left an off-duty police officer dead.
The one-car collision occurred shortly at 12:15 a.m. Saturday on Center Square Road near Tavistock Drive.
"A 20-year-old male driver was driving a compact car that ran off the roadway and into a tree," Jaramillo said. The man was taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. Jaramillo said that as of Saturday afternoon, he was still listed in critical condition.
A victim in the other incident fared much worse.
An off-duty Vineland police officer was killed in a two-vehicle crash Friday afternoon, township police confirmed.
Charlie Amadei, 33, of Vineland, was a passenger in a minivan traveling eastbound on Route 322 near Garwin Road when the crash occurred shortly before 4 p.m., Jaramillo said.
The minivan collided with a pickup truck driven by a 19-year-old man.
Amadei was traveling with his wife and three kids, ages 14, 2, and 1, the chief said. They were transported to a hospital with minor injuries.
The pickup driver was evaluated at the scene and released with tickets pending completion of the investigation.
"I was told it was a 19-year-old male heading southbound in the pickup," Jaramillo said in an email Saturday afternoon. "It appears as if lack of patience/inattentive driving is the main reason for the crash."
Amadei was employed as a special officer with the Vineland Police Department.
