A Fair Haven Councilman Dies after being Struck by a Car

Longtime Fair Haven Councilman Jerome Koch died Sunday from serious injuries he suffered after being struck by a car while bicycling on River Road Saturday afternoon. 

Mayor Benjamin Luccarelli released a statement saying Koch was pronounced dead Sunday night at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he was taken after the accident.

"Councilman Koch was a dedicated public servant who served the residents of Fair Haven for nine years as a member of our Borough Council. More importantly, Jerome was a husband, father, and grandfather, who was dearly loved by his family," said Luccarelli.

"His passing is tragic and he will be missed by all who knew and loved him."

Lucarelli told the Asbury Park Press the 63-year-old Koch served on the Borough Council for seven years and his family was visiting during the Thanksgiving holiday for the christening of a new grandchild.

Lucarelli had been riding a bicycle Saturday and told NJ Advance Media he passed Koch just before the incident. Koch was picking up litter and reportedly swerved into the road when he was struck around 3:30 p.m.

No charges have been filed and police are investigating the accident.

According to a biography posted on Fair Haven's website, Koch is survived by his wife Betsy and their four children.

he had also been riding a bicycle Saturday, and had passed Koch prior to the accident. Koch was picking up litter at the time, and apparently swerved into the road before being struck by a car carrying mother and daughter around 3:30 p.m.

The crash occurred about half a mile from where Shrewsbury firefighter Cole Porter was struck after colliding with an official during the Tour de Fair Have cycling race in 2013. Porter later died of his injuries.

Koch, who was 63, was a member of the family that owned Karl Koch Steel Consulting, which provided steel during the construction of the World Trade Center.

According to a biography posted on Fair Haven's website, he had four children with his wife Betsy, a teacher at the borough's Knollwood School. Now retired, he had served in the Army, and had lived in Fair Haven since 1975.