Northeastern student Jacob Davis was killed after his vehicle was struck by a car traveling 90 miles per hour May 31 in Roxbury, New Jersey, according to officials. He was 18.
Davis was a behavioral neuroscience major on the pre-med track. He had just completed his first year at Northeastern and was slated to graduate in 2027, according to his LinkedIn.
Davis lived in Flanders, New Jersey, according to a statement from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. He spent his first semester in Dublin, Ireland, as a part of the N.U.in program, Deborah Davis, Davis’ mother, said in an interview with The Daily Record.
Gerald Veneziano, 41, was driving northbound late at night when his 2021 Chevrolet Silverado collided with Jacob Davis’ southbound 2019 Mazda 3. Davis was pronounced dead at the scene. Veneziano was transported to a hospital with “serious internal injuries,” according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
Veneziano was charged on June 24 with multiple motor vehicle violations, including one count of second-degree reckless vehicular homicide for Davis’ death, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
Police found “numerous” open alcohol containers in the vicinity of Veneziano’s vehicle, and subsequent investigation showed that he was driving about 90 miles per hour at the time of the crash, the statement said.
Loved ones paid tribute to Davis in a prayer service at William J. Leber Funeral Home in Chester, New Jersey June 3, according to a YouTube livestream. Davis’ friends from Livingston High School, where he graduated from in 2023, said he lived a “wonderful life,” was “a leader” and “always had his friends in mind.”
Davis’ college friends described him as a “kind soul” and “an incredible person.”
One friend who met him at Northeastern recounted their first time meeting Jacob Davis, remembering him as someone who cared deeply for others.
“He immediately struck me as a person who truly deeply listens to everything you say and takes you seriously. He wasn’t one for platitudes. He hears you, he challenges you and he addresses you as an intellectual,” the friend said.
According to Davis’ LinkedIn, he was heavily involved in community service. In his profile, Davis described being involved in various volunteering roles throughout the past several years.
Davis’ aunt, Susan, recalled him growing up to be “a very kind, considerate, compassionate, very smart, intuitive young man.” Shen remembered him as someone who was “shy, but confident,” as well as a “terrific dancer.”
Deborah Davis was the last family member to speak at the service.
“I only ask that you remember him well and I hope that you can celebrate him for the rest of your lives because that is what he would want you to do,” she said.
