Fire Rescue News -Local radio personality dies in Egg Harbor Township crash
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - A local radio personality was killed Tuesday afternoon when his vehicle went off Tremont Avenue and hit a tree, police said.
Michael Ray, 43, of the Bargaintown section of the township, was driving south on Tremont Avenue near Bates Avenue at about 3:54 p.m. when his vehicle crossed the road and struck a tree on the northbound side, police said.
Ray, a longtime radio DJ, was known to listeners as....Continue Reading
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"Big Daddy." He worked at 99.3 the Buzz until 2008, when the station switched formats and became Kiss FM. He was also a teacher.
Ray was sitting at Equity Communications program director Rob Garcia's desk two weeks ago, talking about his marriage, his teaching career ... and the possibility of doing some future on-air work.
Wednesday, Garcia talked about his friend's presence and personality, the traits that allowed him to connect with listeners.
"He had a really loveable personality and a crazy sense of humor," Garcia said. "No matter where the guy went, people would recognize him."
Garcia found out about the accident Tuesday night, hours after the fatal accident. The Bargaintown and Cardiff fire companies responded to extricate Ray from the vehicle, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The Egg Harbor Township Rescue Squad also responded.
Ray, who was not wearing a seat belt, was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the crash, police said.
Friends Samantha DiMarco, 12, and Justine Kern, 13, said they were in a pool in the yard on Tremont Avenue when they saw the station wagon swerve and then crash into the tree.
"I heard the boom and wondered what happened," DiMarco said, adding that she ran next door to her step-mother, who told her to call 911.
Tremont Avenue was closed between Bates and Oakland avenues for about two hours while the scene was cleared, police said.
Police are still investigating the cause of the crash, but said speed was not a factor. Anyone who witnessed the accident or saw the vehicle before the crash is asked to call the Traffic Safety Unit at 609-926-2648.
Contact Elaine Rose:
609-272-7215
