WILDWOOD — Help and support came from as far away as Ocean City and Upper Township for an investigation Saturday into a pop-up car rally that left two bystanders dead in Wildwood.
Authorities said the unsanctioned event Sept. 24, identified by organizers as H2Oi, directed hundreds of people driving high-performance vehicles to an area without any planning, staging or permitting.
Charges have been filed against Gerald J. White, 37, of Pittsburgh, Pa., whom authorities say struck an occupied vehicle and two pedestrians before attempting to flee the scene.
According to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, at about 9:36 p.m., patrol officers from the Wildwood Police Department were called to the area of Burk and Atlantic avenues for a reported multiple-vehicle crash involving pedestrians.
Preliminary investigation determined White, who was driving a 2003 Infinity, struck a 2014 Honda Civic and then two pedestrians.
One of the pedestrians, Lindsay Weakland, 18, of Carlisle, Pa., was pronounced dead at the scene. Timothy Ogden, 34, of Clayton, who was a passenger in the Honda, was transported to the Regional Trauma Unit at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center but later died as a result of his injuries.
White was charged with two counts of death by auto, two counts of assault by auto, one count of eluding and leaving the scene of an accident.
The Wildwood Board of Commissioners on Monday thanked the first responders and those from off the island.
“Our gratitude goes out to every first responder on the scene,” the commissioners wrote. “All personnel of the City of Wildwood Police Department and City of Wildwood Fire Department, along with the dispatchers, worked around the clock to respond to every call. As always, they worked in partnership with police and fire departments in the Wildwoods: North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest. Collectively, they responded to hundreds of calls.
“As the sheer volume of this unsanctioned event spread to multiple towns, Cape May, Lower Township, Middle Township and Upper Township were offering assistance to our island while dealing with “bad actors” offshore. We thank them for their assistance,” they added, noting the Governor’s Office “helped us to secure assistance from all available State Troopers, as well as Ocean City and Atlantic City Police Departments. We are grateful.”
In a statement, Cape May Police Chief Dekon Fashaw said the events evolved quickly and out of the control of the police departments.
He said the Middle Township Police Department and the WPD prepared incoming agencies, officers and staff for the upcoming events. The command staff and members of each police department reacted as quickly as they could to the movements of the group, he stated.
“I have never seen such quick reaction to these type of movements in my entire 27-year career,” Fashaw stated. “The men and women of each police department should be commended and held as heroes not villains for their actions over this past weekend.”
Fashaw said members of the group threw bottles and bricks at officers, who were subject to physical violence and derogatory rhetoric.
“Let it be known that the events the transpired were at the fault of the planners and participants of the H2Oi event, who should be held accountable for their actions in this tragic weekend,” Fashaw said. “The police and emergency services response that occurred to the city of Wildwood last night by the on-scene Wildwood city officers, the responding police departments and agencies was one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen — heroism at its finest.”
Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland said the full circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation and additional charges may be filed.
“I would first like to share my sincere condolences with the families of the two victims who were needlessly killed and those that have been injured. Their lives will be forever changed. Make no mistake that the tragic and dangerous events over the last several days in Wildwood, Rio Grande, Seaville and surrounding communities are a direct result of the organizers of a pop-up car rally self-identified as H2Oi or H2O22,” Sutherland said in a statement. “Directing hundreds if not thousands of people driving high-performance vehicles to an area without any planning, staging or permitting created the chaos that led to these deaths and injuries.
“Anyone thinking of engaging in organizing any type of similar pop-up event is forewarned that there will be a swift and appropriate law enforcement and legal response.”
Sutherland urges anyone with information to contact the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at (609) 465-1135.
By JACK FICHTER/Sentinel staff