ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – A Middletown man has been charged with DWI and reckless driving following the crash that killed an Atlantic Highlands couple attempting to cross Route 36 Friday night, police say.
Dylan Rieger, 27, of the Belford section of Middletown, was charged in connection with the crash that killed longtime Atlantic Highlands residents John Grogan, 60, and his wife Barbara Grogan, 59. They were hit by a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo.
According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO), the Grogans were attempting to cross the highway intersection at Grand Avenue from the northbound direction at approximately 7:50 p.m. when the accident occurred.
Rieger remained on the scene and was uninjured.
The fatal accident is under investigation by the MCPO, the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team and Atlantic Highlands Police Department.
According to their obituary, the Grogans were both born and raised in Atlantic Highlands.
John attended St. Agnes Elementary School and Henry Hudson Regional High School. He went on to attend classes at Brookdale Community College before founding John Grogan Lawn Maintenance, a business he maintained for 35 years. He also served as a beloved weekend bartender at Briody’s Black Point Inn in Rumson and later worked part time for the Atlantic Highlands Sewerage Authority.
Barbara attended Atlantic Highlands Elementary School and Henry Hudson Regional High School and earned a degree in business from William Paterson University in Wayne. Barbara became a full-time mother, but returned to work as a substitute teacher and eventually a full-time teacher’s aide at her old school.
The Grogans are survived by their three children, Amy, 31, Jonathan, 29, and Andrew, 25, and daughter-in-law Rebecca, 28.
John P. Condon Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Visitation is Thursday, March 14 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. A service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 15 at St. Agnes Church, 103 Center Ave.
