A U.S. Army major with roots in New Jersey died in a crash over the weekend, along with two of his daughters, according to the Kentucky State Police.
The crash happened Saturday night as the family was on its way to Colorado Springs.
Early reports seem to indicate that Maj. Augustin “Augie” Gonzalez did not see a tow truck that was stopped on the highway. Authorities say that Gonzalez’s car crashed into the truck. Gonzalez’s 8-year-old son was the only survivor.
Gonzalez, 36, was a beloved athlete in the 1990s in New Jersey, attending St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City.
St. Peter’s Prep football coach Rich Hansen says that Gonzalez will be missed.
"He was the kind of guy who you could probably put him on Mars and he'd find a way to be comfortable and find a group of Martians to lead and have an effect on them. That's the kind of guy he was,” Hansen says.
Gonzalez had just finished getting his master’s in public policy at Duke. The family was in the process of moving to Colorado at the time of the crash. His wife was traveling by plane because of their newborn.