Gloucester skateboarder Jonathan Johnson hit, killed on Main Street

there are lights all around main street, there is no way that the person driving the "minivan" could not have seen him. Johnny was young and did not deserve to die i was his friend.
i'm going to take his family's side no matter what.
RIP Johnny <3

I can not tell you how many times I have been driving along and all of a sudden, a kid on a skateboard flys out in front of me. And then the kid looks at me as if I had did something wrong. I surely don't think the driver intentionally set out to mow down a kid on a skateboard. It was an ACCIDENT!

What was he doing staking on a road with dark clothes on, roads are for vehicles, not skateboarders.

My son was friends with Jonny and always spoke highly of him.He was a diligent skateboarder and would work each move,never quitting until he suceeded it.I just dont understand how that driver could have hit him unless they just were'nt paying attention.It's supposed to be 25mph thru there so(for a reason I'm curious to know if the person driving the minivan was speeding.Either way it was obviously an accident,so so so sad.He will be missed.

to help his family a fund has been set up at first advantage credit union under johnnatan johnson memorial fund

its a 25 mph speed limit and there are lights everywhere.its right on my street.i saw him skate everyday n he was the best n it'll be wierd not to see him on my street anymore.whoever hit him shoould be sued

Johnny Was My bestfriend. Screw That Driver. there Are Lights Everywhere. Skating On mn Street Wont Be The Same. Even tho I Dont Live There Anymore, i Was Looking Forward to Skating And Chilling With him Again. But No, Cause Some Stupid Driver Doesn't pay Attention.

What are skateboarders doing on the roads? A sixteen yr. old should have some common sense. I feel for the family but they have to accept some of the responsibility.. 25 MPH is a lot faster then most people realize. No matter how well lit the area he was still in dark clothing..

I cannot imagina anything worse than the loss of a child, however, blaming the driver is not going to help. It was night, he was in dark clothes, did he have on a helmet or any protective gear? Again, this is tragic and I feel for the friends and family, and even for the driver of the van who has to live with this. Instead of placing blame or planning law suits, let's see what can be done to prevent this from happening in the future.

Rip Johnny, wish we coulda skated one more time.

johnny man i remembered what the last thing u said to me on friday was " i hit that heelflip at the church" and i was like sweet man and then u said when u going to skate again with me and i said soon i wish i could have before u had been gone.. if it wasnt for that dumb lady i would see u tomorrow at school.. when i first met johnny he told me what the word "common" means and everysense then i heard him say it alot of times lol i remember when we first skated lol it was a fun day and i will never forget it. i will always remember you and i will never for get and because of you i will never stop skatin for anything johnny u in spired my life i will see u again some day so rip my bro g newz for life 857.. g newz is the skate team me and johnny braeden trevor gavin and tay made up when we were skatin one day i wish i could have skated one more time with u man rip johnny u will shred for life!!!!

It was a volunteer firefighter who hit him. I just dont see how she couldnt have seen him,wearing dark clothes or not. I believe she still wouldve hit him. Main street has lights all over the place. And if she had her headlights on and flashing strobe lights on including main streets lights. How could she not have seen him?!?!?!? I think she did it on purpose to teach gloucester skaters that the road is not a place to skate but that didnt mean she had to hit him in a minivan on her way to an accident. He didnt deserve to die at a young age,but he died doing what he loved. And that was skating,something he devoted his life to. RIP Johnathan Jerome Johnson,SK804 Heaven. All of gloucester loves and misses you so much.:'(

That rebe person is mistaken. If you dont think Johnny has common sense you don't know him. And don't come posting things about people you don't know. Anyways Johnny was one of the coolest kids I've met. It was common of that perrson to hit him. Gnewz will stay strong in rememberance of Johnny. We have lost one of our best skater but we still know he's in our heart. Oneday I'll have the chance to skate with Johnny again. Until then rip man and 857 will always be thinking of you. Idk about any other skaters but rip johnnys going on my board.

i agreee braeden its going on my board forget that rebe lady she is rebetarded lol johnny was one of the best skaters around gloucester im going to skate with him again one day too he will always be on my board and he will alwats be on our team isnt that right braeden he will never be for gotten rip bro i love the way u skated and i will keep that for ever no matter what rip johnny GNEWZ 4 LIF3 857

keep shreddin up there johnny will never be forgotten

i hope that lady gets charges

How could you say this lady killed him on purpose to teach other skaters a lesson? You have a sick way of thinking.It is very sad that this happened but I highly doubt it will teach a lesson to any of the other skaters that break the law. If lessons were to be taught then maybe there wouldn't be so many teen deaths due to underage drinking and driving. The skaters will continue to skate down Main St. even after this tragedy. The driver may not have been paying as much attention as she should have but we cannnot hold her resposible for his death. His parents knew of his whereabouts and should not have allowed him to skateboard where it is not permitted. There is a reason there are signs posted that skateboarding is not allowed.....so accidents like this do not happen! My thoughts and prayers go out to J. Johnson's family and to the driver.

Aleigha wrote:

It was a volunteer firefighter who hit him. I just dont see how she couldnt have seen him,wearing dark clothes or not. I believe she still wouldve hit him. Main street has lights all over the place. And if she had her headlights on and flashing strobe lights on including main streets lights. How could she not have seen him?!?!?!? I think she did it on purpose to teach gloucester skaters that the road is not a place to skate but that didnt mean she had to hit him in a minivan on her way to an accident. He didnt deserve to die at a young age,but he died doing what he loved. And that was skating,something he devoted his life to. RIP Johnathan Jerome Johnson,SK804 Heaven. All of gloucester loves and misses you so much.:'(

I cannot believe that people think this lady actually hit him on purpose!? This is such a tragic situation for both families involved, and Jonny will be missed by many, but to say that someone did this maliciously is awful. She is a volunteer fire and rescue personnel, which to most people would say she spends her time SAVING lives, not trying to take them to "teach a lesson". I live on main street and drive it every day, and there have certainly been times when kids pop out on skateboards without warning. 25mph isn't "that fast", but certainly not a point where you can stop on a dime. And even though there are some street lights, it's still not that bright, especially if he had on dark clothes. If we really want to blame someone, Gloucester county administration should be put to blame for not providing the kids with a safe and legal place to skate, then they wouldn't be put in this kind of situation. Johnny lost his life because he didn't have somewhere to do the sport he loved, and we need to make sure that a tragedy like this doesn't happen again instead of pointing fingers. We should all be praying for both families as they are all suffering and grieving because of this tragic event

As tragic as this situation is...I don't blame the driver at all. 25mph is plenty fast enough to seriously injure (or kill) a person,(especially without protective gear). I don't know the kid, but it is COMMON SENSE not to be in the middle of the CENTER TURN LANE when not in a VEHICLE (which is what the roads are reserved for....vehicles, not skateboards...even bicycles use the side of the road). Sorry to say, but no matter how well lit the area, no matter how much the driver was actually paying attention... Dark Clothing + Middle of the road (not in vehicle, no protective gear) = No Common Sense (and in this case equals death). Sad but true. If there was any sense, and he still wanted to take the risk of being out in the street, a smarter choice would have been on the side of the road with a reflective vest or belt. The driver is not to blame, it was an accident. And if the kids still decide to skate in the road without proper gear and reflective items, than I believe his death was in vain. Prayers go out to the family. May he rest in peace.

First i would like to say i didnt know this kid but RIP. its so sad when something like this happens. and i dont think the driver did it on purpose but seriously i have lived in gloucester most of my life and whether the kids was in the middle of the road or not main street is well lit and to be a fire and rescue person you should pay more attention to where you are going especially having to deal with the accidents and stuff and they see everyday so YES i agree it is her fault but i dont think she did it on purpose and yes and accident is an accident but if that was my son or best friend or brother i would be pissed. so i totally feel you guys. my prayers go out to the family and friends. i have a 16 year old brother and it breaks my heart to think about someone so young losing their life. well to all you gloucester people on here there is a memorial concert tonight in the court house, my best friend is performing there so thats how i know about it. so for all of you who knew him or just want to support the family come on out and any donations will be sent to the family for funeral expenses.