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Football coach and New Jersey boy killed in crash in Vineland, NJ – NBC10 Philadelphia

A South Jersey community is in mourning after a youth football coach and a 9-year-old football player were killed in a crash near a park in Vineland on Thursday.

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Witnesses told NBC10 that the crash occurred around 6 p.m. near Maple Avenue and Becker Drive near the Joseph E. Romano Sports Complex. Addiel Ortiz, a 31-year-old correctional officer, father of four and coach of the Vineland Blitz youth soccer team, was riding his motorcycle to a game. At the same time, an Upper Township woman was driving her car west on Maple Avenue while her son, 9-year-old Easton Beisler, a youth soccer player with the Upper Township Indians, was in the car.

Both vehicles collided, killing both Ortiz and Beisler. Witnesses told NBC10 that there was severe sun glare at the time of the crash.

“I couldn't see very well and was four cars behind her, so she probably didn't see him coming and he may not have seen her coming or he may have seen her and tried to stop,” Gandalf Sollenberger, a Vineland Blitz official, told NBC10.

The Upper Township Indians paid tribute to Beisler on their Facebook page Friday. The team also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the boy's family.

Family members placed red and black balloons and flowers near the scene of the accident. The Ocean City Red Raiders also asked their fans to wear black and yellow during a scheduled game Friday night to pay tribute to Beisler and the Upper Township Indians. Meanwhile, all games scheduled for the weekend between the Vineland Blitz and the Upper Township Indians have been canceled.

Ocean City vs Lenape game shows support

At a high school football game between the Ocean City and Lenape teams, fans showed that Upper Township and Vineland Blitz are not alone in this tragic time.

The crowd cheered for their Ocean City High School Raiders, but instead of the usual colors of red, white and black, many wore black and yellow.

“I wanted to go out tonight and support the Raiders and then I heard about the tragedy yesterday,” said Keith Grim.

It was a fitting tribute to nearby Upper Township and its currently suffering youth soccer program. The team known for its black and yellow colors lost its young player Easton Beisler in the car accident in Vineland.

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