PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey’s wrestling community is mourning after one of its young rising stars was identified as the victim in Tuesday’s fatal e-bike crash in Burlington County.
Chase Sudano was a little more than a week away from turning 17 when he crashed his e-bike into the back of a UPS truck just before 11 a.m. on Tranquility Court, near route 70, in Southampton Township. He was thrown from the bike and later died from his injuries.
Since Sudano’s passing, hundreds of tributes have poured in from members of New Jersey’s wrestling community, recognizing his rise in the sport.
As a sophomore at St. Augustine Academy in Richland, Sudano was a part of the wrestling team’s District 29 championship and finished third in the Region 8 tournament wrestling at 126 pounds. He also competed at the New Jersey State Wrestling Championships in Atlantic City.
As a freshman, Sudano wrestled at 106 pounds and was a finalist in the district wrestling tournament. His career record was 55 wins and 19 losses.
In an Instagram post honoring Sudano, River Wrestling Club in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, said he was at wrestling practices hosted by the gym more than anyone in the last 13 years.
Off the mat, the hosts of the podcast New Jersey Mat Chat remembered Sudano as a laid-back, funny kid who was well-liked by all.
Investigators have yet to say what they believe led to the crash.
It also came a month before a new law takes effect in New Jersey, reclassifying e-bikes as motor vehicles. That would require helmets for riders and licenses, among other regulations.
There is a GoFundMe to help raise money to pay for Sudano’s funeral and support his family.
