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Funeral services set for N.J. state trooper killed in crash

Funeral arrangements have been set for New Jersey State Trooper Eli McCarson, who was killed in a one-car crash near Route 49 in Salem on Thursday.

Funeral arrangements have been set for a New Jersey state trooper killed in a one-car crash in Salem County on Thursday.

Services for Trooper Eli McCarson, 30, will be held Wednesday at Rowan University's Pfleeger Concert Hall in Glassboro, state police said in a news release issued Saturday.

A viewing is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., followed by a funeral at noon. McCarson will then be buried at a location that had not yet been disclosed Saturday.

McCarson was on patrol when his car went off the right side of Quinton Alloway Road near Route 49 and struck a utility pole about 10:45 a.m., police said. He was rushed to the Memorial Hospital of Salem County, where he died shortly after noon.

The exact cause of his death had not yet been determined Saturday, and the crash remained under investigation.

McCarson, of Gloucester County, graduated from the New Jersey State Police Academy on Feb. 20 and last worked from the Woodstown Station. He was recently married.

Police initially reported the crash occurred as he was responding to a domestic dispute but later clarified that he had already completed the job when the incident took place.

"Whether it's facing an armed assailant or patrolling on a rainy day, troopers and other law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect every member of the public," New Jersey State Police Colonel Rick Fuentes said in a statement. "This is a tragic loss for us, made even worse during this holiday season, but I know our troopers will not flinch."

Gov. Chris Christie ordered that state buildings fly flags at half-staff on Wednesday in McCarson's honor. An online fundraising page set up in his memory had garnered more than $12,000 in donations, as of Saturday afternoon.