Ocean County Mourns Kiera Cirkovic, 22, Killed in Route 9 Crash; Fundraiser Launched to Support Her Sister

Ocean County Mourns Kiera Cirkovic, 22, Killed in Route 9 Crash

JACKSON, NJ — Family, friends, and neighbors gathered Wednesday to say goodbye to Kiera Cirkovic, the 22-year-old Jackson woman killed last week in a crash on Route 9 in Manalapan, as a fundraiser launched in her honor aims to support the older sister she called her best friend.

Cirkovic died Tuesday, October 13, in a crash shortly after 2 a.m. on Route 9 southbound near Symmes Drive in Manalapan Township, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. Thomas J. Dumon, 52, also of Jackson, was killed in the same crash. Manalapan police closed the southbound lanes as investigators worked the scene; the highway reopened shortly before 9:30 a.m.

The crash remains under investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team (SCART), and the Manalapan Police Department. Authorities have not yet released details on how the crash occurred.

A Life Lived Around the World

Born in Palm Coast, Florida, Cirkovic had lived in Jackson for the past four years. She was a "lifetime Lion" at Imagine School in Palm Coast, where she was inducted into the National Honor Society, played soccer and the violin, served in student government, and went on to play varsity lacrosse at Flagler Palm Coast High School. She graduated magna cum laude from Mercy University in Dobbs Ferry, New York, with a degree in business and marketing, and was employed at Moore's Tavern in Freehold.

Every summer, Cirkovic returned to Plav, Montenegro, her family's hometown and what she considered her second home. And whenever she could, she and her older sister Emina — her best friend — were off on another adventure. Among her favorite places were Costa Rica, Amsterdam, Italy, Paris, and Montenegro.

Fundraiser Honors Her Memory

A fundraiser has been launched in Cirkovic's honor to support her sister Emina, according to The Jackson Times, as family and friends rally around the family in the wake of her death.

Cirkovic is survived by her parents, Samir Cirkovic of Plav, Montenegro, and Jenelle McMorrow-Cirkovic of Palm Coast, Florida; her sisters, Emina Cirkovic of Jackson and her significant other, Ryan Fiolek of Freehold, Mariah Hayden and Mylah Hayden of Palm Coast, Florida, and Amina Cirkovic and Hana Cirkovic of Heide, Germany; and her grandparents, Jack and JeanAl McMorrow of Jackson and Mehmed and Kumrija Cirkovic of Plav, Montenegro.