EHT Teens Lost in 1975 Crash to Be Remembered This Weekend

A mass and ceremony to remember four young football players from Egg Harbor Township who died in a car crash 50 years ago will be held this weekend.

The mass for James Childs Jr., Kenneth Childs, Michael Childs and Ronald Kirk will be held at 8 am Sunday, Sept. 28th, at St Elizabeth Ann Seton Church at 591 New Jersey Avenue in Absecon.

The mass will be followed by a field dedication and other events at 1 pm at Childs-Kirk Memorial Park at 31 Idlewood Avenue in Egg Harbor Township.

There will be a graveside memorial at Laurel Memorial Park in EHT on Monday, Sept. 29th at 1 pm.

Remembering the Passing of Four EHT Teens

On September 29, 1975, the four young Egg Harbor Township boys were killed in a traffic accident that tore at the hearts of the local community.

The four friends were on their way to Absegami High School in Mays Landing when they lost their lives in a tragic accident. The three Childs brothers and Ronald Kirk all played high school football.

At that time, Absegami shared a building with Oakcrest High School.

The schools were on a split-session schedule, with Oakcrest students attending in the morning and Absegami in the afternoon.  Absegami would later build its own school in Galloway. The Egg Harbor Township school was not yet a reality.

According to Asbury Park Press Archives, a car driven by Ronald Kirk, 17, was traveling at a high rate of speed when it crashed head-on into a car driven by Margaret Madsen, 50, of Linwood.

The crash occurred on Tilton Road near the airport traffic circle.

According to the Press, Kirk was killed, as were his passengers: James Childs, 18, Michael Childs, 16, and Kenneth Childs, 14.

Margaret Madsen was in serious condition following the crash.

There's a Facebook page dedicated to the boys' memory. It's a private group and can be found here.