NJ mom loses husband, 4 daughters in crash — ‘All gone in blink of eye’

TEANECK — A township woman is fighting to survive as loved ones grieve for the loss of her husband and four daughters who all perished in a car crash Friday afternoon.

The victims of the crash on Route 1 in Townsend, Delaware, were identified Saturday as Audie Marquez Trinidad, 61; Kaitlyn, 20; Danna, 17; and 13-year-old twins Melissa and Allison. Audie's wife, Mary Rose, was hospitalized with serious injuries.

“They’re a God fearing family. They go to church. My brother texted me a picture of the blue crabs they ate on 4th of July. They’re all gone in the blink of an eye. Their bodies in the morgue are unrecognizable," the girls' uncle told the New York Post.

Audie's 1998 Toyota Sienna collided with a Ford F350 pickup truck that crossed a grassy median and went the wrong way into traffic.

The pickup truck hit another vehicle before striking the family's minivan, sending both into a ditch.

Police said the parents were the only ones in the minivan wearing seat belts.

Investigators did not know Saturday morning why the 44-year-old driver of the pickup lost control. He, his passenger and the driver of the third vehicle were hospitalized and released. No charges had been filed Saturday morning.

A memorial service for the family is planned for 9 p.m. Saturday at Votee Park on Palisade Avenue.

ABC7 Eyewitness News reported that Audie was a postal worker while his wife worked as a nurse at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York. Their oldest daughter was a nursing student, the report said.

An online fundraiser sought funds to support Mary Rose.

Stand-up comedian Sara Contreras honored Danna with a post on Instagram, calling her "a lovely and brilliant Teaneck HS student."

Dan Alexander contributed to this report.