Clearview student killed in car crash

The news was unthinkable, Clearview Regional High School principal Kevin Kitchenman said.

Students arrived at the Mullica Hill school yesterday to discover that a popular, talented junior had been killed in a car crash overnight.

Police say Jessica Skelnik, 17, of Harrison Township, died shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday when a sport-utility vehicle driven by her brother slammed into a tree in Mantua Township.

"Most of the students didn't know anything until they got here," he said. "The news hit them right in the face."

Skelnik, Kitchenman said, was a good student and active in a community cheerleading organization, the Harrison Sparks.

"She was a great kid," said Kitchenman. "Her teachers loved her, and she had a lot of friends. She was one of those students who was liked by everyone."

She was also a gifted artist whose paintings and drawings line the school's walls, he said.

Last night, a group of Skelnik's cheerleader friends gathered at coach Karen Sweeten's house to offer each other comfort and share stories about the girl they called Skelly. Most of the girls have been teammates for five years or more.

"She was full of life and really fun to hang out with," said Krista Sweeten, Karen's daughter, another junior at Clearview. "If we were bored, she'd come up with something creative for us to do."

Skelnik made her own clothes and loved going to the mall with her friends, Sweeten said. She played guitar, loved the video game Guitar Hero, and was passionate about music - Bob Marley, the Beatles, Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Paige Heary remembered a friend who believed deeply in peace, displaying peace signs on everything.

"She was laid-back," said Heary, a Clearview senior. "We never fought."

Yesterday, a school counselor went to each of Skelnik's classes to help students cope with the news. The rest of the counseling staff, plus other counselors brought in for the day, set up stations throughout the school.

Many parents took their children home early, said Kitchenman.

"It's just heartbreaking, unbelievable," he said.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

The crash occurred as David Skelnik, 21, was driving eastbound on Breakneck Road between Lantern Way and Deer Run and went around another car in a no-passing zone.

Witnesses said he was driving too fast, police said.

As he reentered the eastbound lane, David Skelnik lost control of the SUV, which rolled off the road and crashed into the tree roof-first.

Slippery roads caused by rain and the ice storm contributed to the crash, police said. Authorities could not say yesterday whether the two were wearing seat belts.

Rescue crews had to remove the siblings from the car, and Jessica Skelnik was pronounced dead at the scene. David Skelnik was treated at Cooper University Hospital.

David Skelnik was charged with reckless driving, passing in a no-passing zone, and driving without a license. The license he carried was expired, police said.

Mantua police as well as the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office are investigating the incident and may consider further charges.

Amanda Heary, a junior and Paige's sister, said her friends were choosing to focus on Skelnik's short, remarkable life.

"She always said, 'Don't have any regrets. Life's too short,' " said Heary.