
Taconic State Parkway crash victim Robert Violante was a beloved N.J. football coach
Robert Violante, head football coach at New Jersey's Bergenfield High School, was killed in a horrific accident on the Taconic State Parkway in New York.
Bergenfield's superintendent and mayor confirmed Violante was one of the four people who died in the fiery collision Wednesday in Westchester County.
"It is with profound sorrow that I write to inform you of the passing of our beloved high school faculty member, head football coach, and track coach, Mr. Robert Violante — known affectionately to many as "Coach V," Bergenfield Superintendent Christopher Tully wrote in a letter to students, staff and parents Thursday. "His unexpected loss is deeply felt across our entire school community, and we know that Bergenfield High School and our town will never be the same without him. He died in a tragic car accident on the way home from school yesterday."
Violante started working for the district as a special education teacher 15 years ago, the letter said.
Robert Violante, head football coach at New Jersey's Bergenfield High School, died in the fiery crash on the Taconic State Parkway on May 14, 2025, officials confirmed.
Bergenfield Public School District
"Many fondly compared him to Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in Kindergarten Cop, a gentle giant guiding young children with care and strength," Tully wrote. "His heart of gold and unwavering support made him a beloved figure in our schools."
Grief counselors are being made available to Bergenfield students and staff in the wake of Violante's death, the superintendent said.
"Our community is grieving right now, especially the kids in school," Mayor Arvin Amatorio said in a statement to CBS News New York.
The New Jersey Football Coaches Association said on social media, "The NJFCA has waken up to the tragic news of Coach Rob Violante's sudden passing. He was an outstanding coach, mentor, friend & family man. Please join us in sending our collective support to his loved ones, his staff, his players & the Bergenfield community. RIP Coach Violante."
Information about memorial services for Violante will be shared on the school's website when available, Tully said.
4 dead in Taconic State Parkway crash
The fatal crash happened at around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday near Saw Mill River Road in New Castle.
New York State Police said the driver of a Sprinter van going southbound crossed the median into the northbound lanes and struck a Honda sedan. The van overturned and burst into flames.
Three people in the van were pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver was hospitalized in critical condition. The Honda driver died from their injuries at the hospital.
Officials did not immediately say which car Violante was in.
The names of the three other victims have not yet been released.
Mark Prussin
Mark Prussin is a digital producer at CBS New York. He covers breaking news, sports, politics and trending stories in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Mark joined the CBS New York team in 2019.
contributed to this report.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
35 minutes ago
- CBS News
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier earns 2nd Player of the Week award this season
Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier has earned her second Western Conference Player of the Week award this season, adding another accolade to her MVP-level year. Collier's latest honor covers two Lynx games, during which she averaged 23 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2 steals and 1.5 blocks. She logged a double-double in each game. The 28-year-old forward was named the West's Player of the Week for the first four games of the season and Player of the Month for May. Collier leads the WNBA this season in points per game (25.5), steals per game (2.2), player efficiency rating (32.1) and win shares (2.4). Her play has the Lynx off to a 9-0 start, matching how the Lynx began their last championship season in 2017. Last season, Collier finished second in MVP voting behind the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson. She's having another stellar season for the Aces, but if Collier continues at her current level of play, it'll be hard for voters to deny her the first MVP award of her career. Collier also made the All-WNBA First Team last year and was named Defensive Player of the Year amid the Lynx's surprising but ultimately unavailing run to the WNBA Finals. She also won a gold medal with Team USA at the Summer Olympics. Since then, she's had a productive offseason. She was named the MVP of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 basketball league she co-founded, and TIME magazine listed her among its 100 Most Influential People.


New York Times
35 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump's Flawed Message to Los Angeles
President Trump thinks he's sending a message. By deploying waves of National Guard officers and active duty Marines to Los Angeles, he's trying to show that he's powerful and in control, that anyone who protests his policies will pay a price. This is a classic deterrence strategy: hit hard in one place to scare Americans into staying home. But this strategy often backfires. If the majority of protests in Los Angeles reject violence, Mr. Trump may end up proving the opposite of what he intended: that he's afraid, that the protesters are disciplined and that the threat isn't the people — it's him. Counterinsurgency experts have long understood this dynamic. If you want to radicalize a population, there is no faster way than to use disproportionate force against civilians. David Kilcullen, a former senior adviser to General David Petraeus in Iraq, made this clear: Heavy-handed state violence doesn't pacify dissent, it inflames it. Another federal authority, the F.B.I., learned this lesson the hard way. In 1992 at Ruby Ridge in Idaho, an F.B.I. sniper shot and killed the wife of Randy Weaver while she stood in the doorway of her home, holding her baby. The F.B.I. had been called in to back up U.S. marshals who were engaged in a standoff with Mr. Weaver, whom they were trying to arrest on a fugitive warrant. A year later in Waco, Texas, federal agents engaged in a 51-day standoff with the Branch Davidians, a religious sect whose leader, David Koresh, was being investigated for alleged child abuse and the unlawful stockpiling of weapons. The siege ended in disaster: The compound went up in flames and more than 75 people, including at least 20 children, died. Public trust in federal law enforcement plummeted. Militias exploded in size and number. Timothy McVeigh later cited Waco as one of the reasons he bombed the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995. Since then, the F.B.I. has trod carefully when confronting American civilians, especially armed ones. In 2014, after the Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy had long refused to pay federal grazing fees and hundreds of armed supporters faced off with federal agents, law enforcement backed down rather than risk another Waco. And two years after that, during the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon (this time led by Mr. Bundy's sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy), the bureau showed patience. For weeks agents avoided direct confrontation, choosing instead to wait, negotiate and de-escalate. It turns out that this strategy is more effective in avoiding violence. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.


New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Lee Corso's final ‘College GameDay' to come at Ohio State in Week 1
Lee Corso's final mascot headgear pick for 'College GameDay' will come at Ohio State, where it all began. ESPN's flagship college football show will go to Columbus, Ohio, in Week 1, where the Buckeyes will face Texas in what is expected to be a top-five matchup. ESPN said in April that the 89-year-old Corso would retire after Week 1 of the upcoming season, giving him a celebratory sendoff, but it did not name the location. There was some speculation the show could go to the Florida State-Alabama game, as Corso played at FSU in the 1950s alongside actor Burt Reynolds (and because Ohio State-Texas will be broadcast on Fox). 📍 Week 1: Columbus, OH We're kicking off College GameDay with a trip to Texas-Ohio State, as we celebrate Lee Corso's final show back where he first made headgear history! 🤩 — College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) June 10, 2025 But the show will send Corso off where the headgear picks began. While Corso has been on the show since its inception in 1987, his first mascot pick came at Ohio State in 1996 for the Buckeyes' game against Penn State. Corso has made 430 headgear picks, from Buckeyes to animals to helmets to full-on costumes. He's correctly picked 66.5 percent of those choices, according to ESPN, including a perfect 11-0 in 1999. Brutus Buckeye has been the most popular pick, chosen 45 times, with Alabama just behind at 38. 'When it was our game, I was always hoping he didn't pick us,' Nick Saban said in April, 'because I knew the players were watching and I wanted reverse rat poison.' Coach Lee Corso by the numbers 🤯 🐻 430 mascot headgear picks🏈 66.5% win rate of picks all-time🏆 Perfect season = 1999 More on LC's 38 years on @CollegeGameDay: — ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 17, 2025 'My family and I will be forever indebted for the opportunity to be part of ESPN and 'College GameDay' for nearly 40 years,' Corso said in a news release in April. 'I have a treasure of many friends, fond memories and some unusual experiences to take with me into retirement.'