into oncoming traffic where it was then hit by a commercial van ending the lives of tim and bridget o'donnellscott admitted to police he was up for at least 26 hours straight and under the influence of prescription drugs. i met pam o'donnell, the widow in her home. much quieter home than it used to be. her daughter, i was expecting her to be there that she was a school and had not missed a day because that is where father would have wanted. i brought her stuffed animals for easter. >> she needs it. >> ii asked them how she was feeling. >> am devastated. i am not feeling anything. i am numb. and i see my husband and daughter for the 1st time tonight before the public viewing tomorrow. i'm just feeling worse. >> talk to her about who her husband was and for the 1st time i saw her face light up a little bit. >> a big teddy bear. most kind, compassionate human being i have ever met, most intelligent men i know, clearly loved by everyone. his school that he taught at and my daughter school. i am overwhelmed by it all. there are not enough words to describe. she was the life of the party. not a lot

tim and bridge o'donnell were -- bridget o'donnell were killed in a crash on the new jersey turnpike hit by a man high on drugs. aj ross is in bayonne. >> reporter: sandra, an overwhelming outpouring was shown here this afternoon as friends and family paid their respects two people died in a tragic accident that shook the community. >> reporter: a somber bell tolled and bagpipes expressed what words could not outside this cathedral in bayonne saturday. [ music ] [ amazing grace ] >> reporter: an unrelending heartache and emptiness following the sudden jarring passing of 48-year-old timothy o'donnell and 5-year-old daughter bridget. he and his child were traveling on the jersey turnpike monday afternoon when they were rear-ended at a toll plaza by 36-year-old scott officers he was high on adderall at the time of the crash and had been awake for more than 24 hours. >> that guy killed two innocent people. [ crying ] >> that were just on their way home. i really feel sorry for the family. >> reporter: a loving husband, father and teacher and county prep hundreds gathered to mourn a great

that car was carrying tim and bridget o'donnell who both died. wife and mother of the victims talked about the difficulty of breaking the news to her other daughter. >> she went looking for bridget and her daddy and i had nothing other to say but the truth. >> a third vehicle was involved in this crash, no charges were filed against that driver. >>> 5:16. a new book links the cancer that killed bo b eed beau biden to hn iraq. it claims biden and other soldier became sick because of burn pits. the vice president's son spent a year deployed in iraq. pentagon officials say the evidence linking burn pits with health problems is inconclusive but admit some deployed service members have suffered persistent symptoms. >>> i believe they were a direct affect on his health. i have too many soldiers with the same complaints that were located in the same place he was. >> beau biden died from brain cancer may of last year. >>> it is a verdict against johnson & johnson. a jury in missouri awarded $72 million in damages to the family of a woman who died last yea

high school teacher and his young daughters.ers released balloons in memory of tim o'donnell and five-year-old bridget. their car was rear ended leading to a chain reaction crash. one of his students talked about his sense of humor and how different it's been at school since his passing. >> it's been very quiet. everyone has been very sad. >> 36-year-old scat ott hahn admitted to being high on adderall. underway in yonkers after a tanker spilled nearly 2,000 gallons of oil. this happened around 8:30 this morning outside an apartment building on bronx river road. the truck was making a delivery when the oil began to leak out. the driver was able to cap the leak, but look at that, not before at least one-third of the load spilled onto the roadway, 600 gallons made it into a storm drain that empties into the bronx river. it is not clear what caused the spill. >>> tonight investigators are looking for the cause of a fire that destroyed a new jersey deli. firefighters say the blaze began in the kitchen area at prime foods on anderson avenue this morning. the smoke was so thick it could be seen from the wes

. >> reporter: tim o'donnell and his five-year-old daughter bridget were killed. his wife spoke about the loss of her husband and daughter. >> it's sad that our teacher was taken from us. they're so distraught and sad. >> reporter: 36-year-old hahn is single. now he's in jail, held on a million dollars bail. the prosecutor confirms our record yesterday of speeding and unsafe driving charges in his past in arguing against bail reduction. >> he has a horrific driving record. >> reporter: but it's what happened to this family, to this mother and widow that has offering to raise money. >> the family needs a lot of help. i just want to be a big part of that. >> reporter: and there will be an extensive effort. now, the prosecutor said that a urine test confirmed the presence of em fete amphetamines in hahn's body. he also admitted to police he had not slept in 24 hours since taking that adderall. of course there's not much sleep now for the o'donnell family as they face a wake on friday night and the funerals on saturday. >>> tonight, the epa is defending its decision n

timothy o'donnell, as you said, 51 years old, his younger daughter, 5-year-old bridget died in the crash. state police said o'donnell was slowing down as he approached the tolls at the 14c turnpike when a 1998 mercedes driven by scott hahn of hamilton slammed into the back of o'donnell's car so hard it pushed it through the toll, and into traffic going in the opposite direction, and then his chevy malibu was slammed again by a second car, a father and young daughter dead. a wife and a 6-year-old daughter left in this loss. we spoke to the hudson county superintendent of schools. >> everybody knew everybody, and tim was no exception. he fit right into that building, and a beautiful, and a beautiful, beautiful teacher and we have an enormous loss. and the enormous proportions and it's almost impossible for me to explain it. >> reporter: it has hit this district very very hard. police are still investigating the accident. so far, no charges have been filed. for now, we're live here in northburg, toni yates, channel 7 eyewitness news. >>> thank you. well, a judge in connecticut will decide w

yesterday's wake, a long line of mourners turned out to pay their respects to timothy o'donnell and his 5-year-old daughter bridget at a funeral home in bayonne. their car was rear ended in a toll plaza on monday. the other driver has been charged with manslaughter. >>> a couple of sharp police officers nabbed a fugitive spotting him on the subway. he was arrested thursday at the coney island subway station. alert transit officers recognized him and spotted him as a murder suspect while questioning him for spitting. he is accused of killing a man in east new york last november. >>> yoko ono is recovering this morning after being take tonight hospital with advanced flu symptoms. her son shawn ono lennon dismissed rumors that she suffered a stroke. he said no, she's dehydrated and doing okay. ono was take tonight hospital around 9:00 last night. the widow of former beatle john lennon turned 83 years old last week. the representative says the artist and singer should be released from the hospital this weekend. >>> the nypd is working to track down a man who exposed bronx. bronx. a taste of spring by tomorrow. right w

at yesterday's wake a line of mourners paid their respects to timothy o'donnell and his 5- year-old daughter bridget who had a funeral in bayonne. their car was rear ended and the other driver has been charged with manslaughter. >>> a couple of police nabbed a fugitive wanted for murder after spotting him at the coney avenue subway platform. he was questioned for spitting. in east new york last november. >>> yoko ono is recovering after being taken to the hospital with flu symptoms. her son shawn -- [no audio ] >> he thanked her fans for their concern. she was taken from her home to the hospital around 9:00. a represent itch says the artist and sing -- representative says the artist and singer should be released from the hospital soon. >>> the nypd is working to track down a man who exposed himself to several students outside of a school in the bronx. it happened yesterday outside of the bronx studio school for writers and artists in hunts point. police are now trying to figure out if it was the same man seen at another school in the same neighborhood wednesday. >>> coming up, do you think you might

timothy o'donnell taught science here in hudson city new jersey. he died in the with bridget. just on the turnpike. state police say he was slowing down with traffic as he was approaching the toll booth. when todd hahn slammed into the back of o'donnell's chevy malibu, with such force that it pushed o'donnell's car through the tolls and into the opposite lanes of traffic, where o'donnell's car was then hit by another mercedes benz. this girl donald died at the scene. his daughter was taken to new jersey medical center, where she was pronounced. now, the driver of that first car that hit o'donnell's sister hahn is listed in stable condition. the other driver was treated and released. state police, of course, are still investigating at this point. no charges have been filed. fundraising sites, go fund me, and you caring.com, have set up pages from the friends and family of the o'donnells to raise money for the family he leaves behind, which is another young daughter and his wife. we will have much more on this coming up later on eyewitness news. for now, we are live here in jerse

the impact sent o'donnell through the tolls, into the eastbound lanes and into the path of a van. o donnell and his daughter bridget died soon after. >> it was so flooded with them trying to extricate that, you couldn't see much. you could see the car you said under the van. >> reporter: the awful crash left a mother the difficult task of telling her other daughter, only 6 years old, what happened. she broke the news after the little girl came home from school. >> she came in the house, and she went room to room, looking for bridget and her daddy. and i had nothing other than to say but the truth. >> reporter: we're learning more about the driver charged in the crash. scott hahn first got his license in 1998. since then, he's had 28 license suspensions, mostly for administrative reasons. he's been found guilty of speeding four times, and twice for unsafe operation of a motor vehicle. now police are looking at speed as a factor in this deadly >> how does something like this play into a case going forward now? >> well, clearly, the prosecutor is going to take that into account and it's probably going to raise the lev

>> pam o'donnell sitting down to talk about the sudden loss of her husband and younger daughter, both killed on their near a turnpike toll plaza. pam battled and beat cancer, her daughter bridget a big part of her survival. >> i don't know what i am going to do without her. she gave me my medicine every four hours and she held my hand. >> pam's older daughter is a first grader here at bayonne's elementary. ally is devoted. how did mom break the news? >> ally insisted on coming to this school today, therapeutic for her and the school. >> she came in the house and she went room to room looking for bridget and her daddy. and i'm -- i had nothing other to say but the truth. >> what they had now gone. a little girl who was irreplaceable, a rock in mom's life as well. >> that was the bright spot of the day, we were glad to have her here and we could hopefully make a pleasant day for her. father torn away from her. >> the first thing, she asked if i was going to get remarried because she wants a daddy. she wanted somebody to be a dad. >> how did this accident happen? well, state police say as o'donnell was going through the toll plaza, he was hit in the rear end of his car, spinning