TOWNSEND, Del. – They had just just texted a cousin that they would be late. The normally busy family had a been on a vacation, and they wanted to make sure that people knew where they were. Hours later, a New Jersey father, a postal worker and Navy vet, as well as his four daughters, were killed in a crash in Delaware Friday afternoon after a pickup truck crossed a center median, drove the wrong way and struck their minivan, authorities said. Gone was a family that had accomplished so much, a a close-knit family whose losses left the Teaneck community in grief and shock. "All I can say is I love the family very much, a productive, humble, loving family," said Brent Zachary Lewis, who dated one of the daughters, Kaitlyn. Audie grew up in the Philippines and, in 1987, he came to the United States when he enlisted in the Navy and served for seven years, according to The Record . "He was proud to be an American," said his brother, Danny, told the publication. "That's why he joined the Navy." The driver of the 1998 Toyota Sienna minivan, Audie Marquez Trinidad, 61, of Teaneck, was wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Delaware State Police. Kaitlyn and Danna/YouTube Linda Douglas, a family friend who created a GoFundMe page far surpassed its $10,000 goal, told nj.com that the family always prioritized their children. Also in the van were his four daughters: Kaitlyn, 20; Danna, 17; and 13-year-old twins, Melissa and Allison, all of whom were not properly restrained and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. "Audie was the family dad, he was always the dad to pick everyone up in the minivan," Douglas told nj.com. "We traded off, but no matter whose sweet 16 it was you could always count on Audi." Kaitlyn and Dana were both setters on the Teaneck High School head volleyball team, according to the publication. "They were both great players who were loved by all of their teammates," Teaneck head coach Sue Cipriano told nj.com. "You wish every player had their work ethic and worked to the best of their ability like those two ... They were some of the hardest working girls I've ever coached. Everyone needs to know how truly amazing they were." A comedian, Sara Contreras, known as the "Latin Diva of Comedy," was among a number of people who paid tribute to the family once friends, community leaders and family members identified them. She said Danna was a "lovely and brilliant Teaneck High School student and beloved friend of my extended family." A 9 p.m. memorial was held Saturday at Votee Park in Teaneck for the family, according to family friend Brent Zachary Lewis. Memorial service/YouTube "It's certainly heartbreaking, as you can imagine," State Police Master Cpl. Melissa Jaffe said during the televised press conference. "Those of us who have family and children – I feel so badly for this family. I can't imagine what they're going through, to lose four children in a crash," Jaffe said. "It's just something that's unheard of." The 53-year-old mother, Mary Rose Ballocanag, who was wearing a seat belt in the front passenger seat, was transported to a local area hospital in Delaware where she was admitted with serious injuries, authorities said. Flowers and other notes were left at the Trinidad house for each family member who died. YouTube The crash happened at 3:47 p.m. on Route 1 in Townsend, Del. when a 2007 Ford F-350 pickup truck, traveling in the left lane, crossed a grassy center median and hit the family's minivan and another car, police said. The operator of the F-350, a 44-year-old man from East New Market, Md., was transported to a local area hospital where he was treated and released with non-life threatening injuries, police said. He was wearing a seat belt, and it is unknown if driver-impairment was a factor. His passenger, a 30-year-old man from Hurlock, Md., was wearing a seat belt and was also transported to a local area hospital where he was treated and released with non-life threatening injuries, police said. The operator of the 2002 Mercury Sable, a 24-year-old male from Bethlehem Pa., was transported to a local area hospital where he was treated and released with non-life threatening injuries. He was wearing a seat belt and impairment does not appear to be a factor, police said. The pickup truck crossed over the center median "for unknown reasons" when it headed south in the northbound lanes, police said during a press conference. The truck entered the northbound lanes where the Sable was traveling northbound on Route 1, just north of Pine Tree Road. The 1998 Toyota Sienna was traveling a short distance behind the Sable, police said. The front driver's side of the F-350 pickup struck the left rear-side of the Sable, causing the Sable to spin out of control and come to a rest in an embankment, police said. The F-350 pickup continued operating out-of-control southbound in the northbound lanes when the front of the Sienna struck the passenger's side of the pickup, police said. The impact caused both vehicles to leave the edge of the roadway and head into a ditch. Southbound Route 1 in the area of Pine Tree Road was closed for approximately 90 minutes and the northbound lanes were closed for approximately 5 hours while the crash was investigated and cleared. The crash continues to remain under investigation by the Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit. If you or someone you know is a witness of this crash, contact the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit/Delaware Victim Center at 1800 VICTIM-1 or email the unit director at debra.reed@state.de.us. This is a developing story. We'll have more information as it comes in. Some people took to social media to pay tribute to the victims: RIP Danna Ashley Trinidad ... — 1 K (@eliii1k) July 7, 2018 Crash scene: YouTube photo/video Photo courtesy of Brent Zachary Lewis: Audi Trinidad and his four daughters, Danna, Kaitlyn, Allison and Melissa. The mother, Mary Ballocanag (center), was hospitalized. Photo courtesy of GoFundMe, a promotional partner of Patch<doc-sep>Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook Twitter PRICES CORNER, Del. (CBS) – It was a tragic discovery inside a Delaware home as police say a man killed his wife and three young children before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide. Newark Police Officers Revive 2-Year-Old Girl Found Unresponsive In Pool Police found the bodies of five people in the home along the 2700 block of Ferris Road in Prices Corner on Monday night. Delaware State Police say 42-year-old Matthew Edwards shot and killed his wife, 41-year-old Julie Edwards, and their three children — a 6-year-old boy, 4-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy — before shooting himself. “The individuals have been turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science where autopsies were performed and have ruled the deaths to be murder/suicide by gunshot,” police said in a statement. This neighbor lives across the street from where police say five people died from apparent gunshot wounds, including three kids under 8-years-old https://t.co/8e3omC2KE1 @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/X7rQN5dorJ — Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) July 10, 2018 One neighbor who didn’t want to show his face on camera said Matthew Edwards confided in him a night before the suicide that he recently lost his job and was separating from his wife. “This is just so sad,” said neighbor Alisha Garvin. Garvin says she heard the bang of explosions around 12 p.m. Monday, but at first didn’t think anything of it. Man Fleeing From Officers Ran Over, Killed By Bulldozer “It just sounded like pop, pop, pop, like firecrackers and didn’t pay it any mind because the Fourth was just a few days ago,” said Garvin. “Didn’t pay it no mind at all.” Garvin then says a child who was supposed to sleep over at the house was dropped off around 7:30 p.m., walked inside and discovered the bodies. “A neighbor said she watched him get out of the red truck, go inside and then rush right out,” said Garvin. “So apparently he had to have found them because no one else was around.” Police swarmed the area shortly after. Authorities believe the victims died from apparent gunshot wounds. Police also say the surrounding area is not in danger. Authorities say autopsies will be done to figure out exactly what happened. Thai Cave Rescue: Entire Team, Coach Rescued From Thai Cave Anyone with any information is asked to call police at 302-365-8441.<doc-sep>
TOWNSEND, Del. — Five members of a New Jersey family, including four children, were killed Friday in a crash on a Delaware highway, according to state police. The other adult who was in the vehicle was taken to a hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries, news outlets reported Friday night. State Police M. Cpl. Melissa Jaffe said police didn’t immediately know the ages of the children or what part of New Jersey the family is from. The crash occurred around 3:45 p.m. on Route 1, the state’s major north-south artery, near Townsend. Jaffe said that a southbound pickup truck crossed the median and struck a northbound passenger car. She said the car came to rest on the median, while the pickup truck continued to travel southbound in the northbound lanes and was hit by a minivan carrying the New Jersey family. The two occupants of the pickup truck and the single occupant of the car were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Photographs from the scene showed a blue tarp covering a white passenger vehicle with massive front-end-damage. The vehicle’s roof appeared to have been cut off by rescue workers and was lying upside down on the ground nearby. A few feet away was a maroon extended-cab pickup truck, which appeared to be a commercial vehicle, with its passenger side caved in. Dozens of emergency personnel responded to the scene as authorities worked to clear debris, The News Journal of Wilmington reported. Charles “C.R.” McLeod, a spokesman for the Delaware Department of Transportation, said Route 1 was closed in both directions for 17 miles for hours after the crash. The names of those killed in the crash were not immediately released because next of kin had not been notified. The Delaware State Police Collison Reconstruction Unit is investigating.