A 24-year-old Hillsborough Township man described by loved ones as a talented musician and relentlessly kind presence died early last Friday after his Jeep SUV collided with a Mack truck on Route 80 in Warren County. Thomas Argen was pronounced dead at the scene, and his death has since drawn an outpouring of tributes from his hometown.
According to Daily Voice, New Jersey State Police troopers responded to Route 80 eastbound in Warren County at 1:03 a.m. after Argen's Jeep struck the front of the truck. State police spokesman Christopher Postorino said troopers were called out after the collision, and the outlet reported that the crash remains under investigation.
WRNJ Radio offered additional detail on how the crash unfolded, reporting that Argen's Jeep had been traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-80 when it struck the Mack truck, which was heading eastbound in the center lane, head-on. The station reported that no other injuries were reported at the scene. After the impact, the Jeep ran off the roadway and traveled down a grass embankment, Daily Voice reported.
A Musician Remembered for His Warmth
Argen graduated from Hillsborough High School and was known as an accomplished musician with what loved ones described as a thoughtful and kind disposition, per Daily Voice's report. He worked at Vintedge Wine & Spirits, and his obituary described him as kind-hearted and thoughtful, noting that he greeted people with hugs. The obituary said his life was filled with hopes, dreams, creativity and possibilities.
He is survived by his parents, David and Pamela; his brother, Steven; his grandfather, Mark; and his dogs, Ruby, Lily and Otis, according to the same report. A GoFundMe campaign set up to support his family had raised more than $3,800 as of Monday.
Funeral Set for This Week
Argen's funeral will be held at Hillsborough Funeral Home on Wednesday, according to Daily Voice's reporting. Family and friends have been invited to pay their respects as the Hillsborough community continues to mourn the loss of a young man remembered for his music and his hugs.
The circumstances that led to the crash remain under investigation, and no further details about the cause have been released. In a separate but unrelated incident on I-80 in Warren County, WRNJ Radio reported that a truck driver was killed and a passenger injured in Knowlton Township when a Kenworth tractor-trailer struck the rear of a parked tractor-trailer, underscoring the stretch of highway's recent toll.
