A Mercedes crashed into the front of Hesse Hall on Monday, Sept. 9 at approximately 2:15 p.m., leaving the driver injured. No student injuries were reported.
The 61-year-old man backed his white Mercedes Benz into the rear-end of a parked white Jeep, changed direction, and then crashed head-on into the dormitory. Both vehicles were then towed once the building was deemed safe.
The driver of the vehicle was rushed to Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. His condition is unknown at this time.
Morganne Dudzinski, the Director of News and Public Affairs said about the driver, “I checked in with the university’s police department and as this is an ongoing investigation, no further information can be released at this time.”
The university community was notified of the incident via email by new President Patrick Leahy, Ph.D. around 4 p.m.
“Hesse Hall was evacuated and the building damage is being evaluated by a structural engineer,” Leahy wrote. “Students housed in the affected areas of Hesse Hall will be relocated until those areas are deemed safe for occupancy.”
Following the crash, Hesse Hall was closed for about two and a half hours while the architect surveyed the building’s damage. According to Monmouth’s official Twitter, the residence hall reopened at approximately 5:25 p.m. The Mercedes crashed through the room of two male students who have since been relocated to another building.
Megan Jones, the Associate Director of Residential Life for Housing Operations, said, “Hesse Hall is open and occupied except for the one affected room. Once repairs are made to the room, the two students will be able to return.”
Facilities Management will update those students when they can return to the affected dorm.
The Asbury Park Fire Department dispatched a heavy rescue truck, a special vehicle used for building collapses, and two fire trucks to the scene of the accident.
The Residential Assistants of Hesse Hall were contacted about the incident, but declined to comment and redirected The Outlook team to their supervisors at Residential Life. David Schenck, the Area Coordinator of Hesse Hall, also declined an interview after being contacted.
Hesse Hall is Monmouth University’s newest residence hall. Built in 2014, it houses first-year and second-year students and features co-ed floors. It also houses a convenience store, which is known to students as the C-store. Hesse Hall is the first dormitory upon entering through the main gate, located adjacent to the Murry and Leonie Guggenheim Memorial Library.
Jacey Maree, a freshman communication student and resident of Hesse Hall, witnessed the car accident. She was the person who contacted the police. Maree said, “Maree said, “It doesn’t affect me personally, but the fact that I saw it going into that brick building scared me for the rest of the day. It was really nerve-wracking.”
Photo Courtesy of Jacey Maree
