My thoughts go out to Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr. and to County Prep Principal Barbara Mendolla for the loss of their son.

Prosecutor: Epps' son's death a 'tragic accident'

by Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
Monday March 30, 2009, 7:17 PM

Jersey Journal file photoHudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio's office is reviewing the Hoboken case files on the accident that took the life of Jonathan Epps.

The death of the 22-year-old son of Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr. was the result of a tragic accident that occurred when he stepped from a moving vehicle while arguing with the driver, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said this afternoon.

"We feel for the family," said DeFazio, whose office is reviewing the Hoboken Police Department's investigation into the death of Jonathan C. Epps.

Family members maintained a 'round-the-clock vigil at Jonathan Epps' bedside at the Jersey City Medical Center until his death on Sunday as a result of head trauma he suffered at 2:41 a.m. on March 22 on Park Avenue in Hoboken, DeFazio said.

DeFazio provided information on the accident that the Hoboken police had refused to release.

Epps and a 22-year-old Jersey City woman spent some time in a Hoboken club, DeFazio said, declining to provide the woman's name or the name of the club.

Afterward, the woman was behind the wheel of a minivan when she and Epps argued and he opened and "jumped out" of a passenger side door while the van was moving at 15 to 20 miles an hour, DeFazio said.

Epps landed in the street, apparently striking his head on the pavement, DeFazio said, based on statements of the driver and a witness.

Someone called Hoboken police and they arrived to find the driver holding Jonathan Epps' hand, DeFazio said.

Ambulances from the Jersey City Medical Center and Hoboken University Medical Center responded, but Epps was taken to the Jersey City hospital due to the seriousness of his injuries, DeFazio said.

The prosecutor said there was "some drinking" going on before the accident but the driver said her intake was minimal and she was not charged with drunk driving. She was issued summonses by police, including one for operating a vehicle without a license, but received no summonses for moving violations, DeFazio said.

DeFazio said a toxicology and autopsy report will likely not be performed on Epps since he died in the presence of medical professionals and the cause of death is not in question.

"Hoboken police are considering it a fatal motor vehicle accident and not something involving criminality," DeFazio said. "Based on what has been provided due to the Hoboken investigation, it would appear to be an accident."

How sad. My condolences to the family.

Son of schools chief, 22, dies after accident

Monday, March 30, 2009
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jonathan C. Epps, the 22-year-old son of Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr., passed away yesterday afternoon at the Jersey City Medical Center, a week after he suffered head trauma after falling from a moving car in Hoboken, officials said.

Family members had maintained a round-the-clock vigil since Jonathan Epps was admitted to hospital's intensive care unit on Sunday, March 22. According to police, he tumbled from the car in front of 79 Park Ave. at 2:41 a.m.

"We were all praying for a miracle and praying for good news. This is not the news we wanted to hear," said Jersey City Board of Education Chairman William DeRosa, who received a brief call from Superintendent Epps yesterday afternoon, informing him of the tragic death. "It is a very sad day."

School Board member Suzanne Mack said that as the longest serving board member, she has known Jonathan Epps and the family for many years.

"I watched him grow from a little boy into a caring, loving, beautiful young man," Mack said. "His goodness was rooted in his smile...You were happy to be around him."

Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy called the death "every parent's worst nightmare.

"This is a terrible tragedy that is magnified because he was such a young and vibrant man," said Healy, one of many public officials who visited Epps at the hospital. "He was extremely popular and well-liked and he had the whole world in front of him."

A junior at New Jersey City University, Epps lived with his mother, County Prep Principal Barbara Mendolla. He was a former student of St. Peter's Preparatory High School in Jersey City and studied at St. Peter's College until June 2006, officials said.

Besides his parents, he is survived by three sisters.

Journal staff writer Ken Thorbourne contributed to this story.

Condolences to the family. So tragic.

So horrible, especially at such a young age. RIP.

Jersey City school chief's son still critical

by Charles Hack
Wednesday March 25, 2009, 10:23 PM

Family members have been maintaining a round-the-clock vigil at the bedside of Jonathan C. Epps, the 22-year-old son of Jersey City Schools Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr.
Officials said yesterday he remains in intensive care in Jersey City after falling out of a moving car in Hoboken early Sunday morning.

Epps has been at the Jersey City Medical Center since suffering head trauma when he tumbled from the car in front of 79 Park Ave. at 2:41 a.m., officials said.

His condition is unchanged from Monday, when he was classified as critical but stable, officials said.

"We here at the Jersey City Public Schools continue to keep the Epps family in our thoughts and our prayers as they continue to go through this difficult time," Paula Christen, a spokeswoman for Jersey City Public Schools, said yesterday.

The family brought in sandwiches and dessert as a way of saying thanks to nurses and other medical staffers providing care, a hospital spokesman said.

Jonathan Epps, who is the son of Charles T. Epps Jr. and County Prep Principal Barbara Mendolla, is a former student of St. Peter's Preparatory High School in Jersey City and studied at St. Peter's College until June 2006, officials said.

The full article:

Quote:

Son of Jersey City schools chief Charles Epps Jr. in stable condition after car incident

by Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal
Monday March 23, 2009, 2:48 PM

Jonathan Epps, the son of Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps, Jr. is in intensive care and in a stable condition at Jersey City Medical center, hospital officials said this morning.

According to sources, Jonathan Epps, who is in his early 20s was involved in an incident in Hoboken early Sunday morning involving a car and suffered a severe blow to the head.

His family has been at his side, sources said. A spokeswoman from the Jersey City School District refused to comment saying it is a private matter for the family. No further information is known at this time.