Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Elementary school teacher killed in South Jersey crash

Michelle Barrett had been a teacher for 20 years at Gloucester Township's Chews Elementary School.

Gloucester Township is mourning the death of a longtime elementary school teacher who was killed in a two-car crash on Tuesday.

Michelle Barrett, 46, who lived in the township’s Blackwood section, was fatally injured in a crash with another car about 6:15 p.m. at Erial Road and Douglas Avenue in which both vehicles overturned, Gloucester Township police said.

The man driving the other vehicle survived with minor injuries, and Barrett died at a hospital, police said.

Barrett, a kindergarten teacher, had been an instructor for 20 years at Chews Elementary School, officials said.

“Mrs. Barrett was a dedicated teacher and well-respected member of the Chews Elementary School staff,” district superintendent John Bilodeau said in a statement.

He said grief counselors have been provided to the school.

Mayor David R. Mayer said Barrett “was a wonderful teacher, and her passion to teach was only matched by her passion for her students.”

He added, “She certainly left her mark on education and the lives of many here in Gloucester Township."

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.