Retired Clearview coach and his wife die after SUV crashes into neighbor's home

People reports that Thomas and Lisa Hengel were killed after their Hyundai Palisade SUV crashed into a neighbor’s home in Harrison Township, N.J., on Jan. 17.

Shortly after 6 p.m., investigators told ABC 6 the vehicle accelerated and struck the house, causing a fire that quickly consumed the car and the home. No one inside the residence was injured, but the house is now uninhabitable, CBS Philadelphia said. "At this point, we don't believe it's anything other than a tragic accident,” Harrison Township Police Sgt. Kurt Pflugfelder told ABC 6. Neighbor Gary DeVine described flames “up by the roof,” and told CBS Philadelphia the “corner house was on fire” and that “the vehicle was half in there.”

Thomas coached cross-country and track at Clearview Regional High School for more than 40 years and taught for 33 years; Suburban Family Magazine reported he began his tenure in 1981 and retired in 2023. He was named South Jersey Coach of the Year in 2014 and was elected to the Gloucester County Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, NJ.com reports. Lisa designed landscapes across South Jersey for 30 years. The school lowered its flags to half-staff on Monday, Jan. 19, and Superintendent John Horchak III wrote the district will “honor their memory by carrying forward the values they modeled so faithfully.” The Harrison Township police and the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office are investigating the crash.

Key Topics

Culture, Thomas Hengel, Lisa Hengel, Hyundai Palisade, Harrison Township, Clearview High School