Van driver cited in Alstede Farms fatal accident

CHESTER TWP. – An investigation is still underway, but a careless driving ticket was issued to the driver of a shuttle van that struck and killed a toddler at Alstede Farms on Oct. 12.

A careless driving summons was issued to Alstede Farms worker Neil McWilliams, a six-year employee whose duties included hay wagon rides on weekends at the farm on Route 513, also known as Old Route 24.

Township Court Administrator Susan Travis said the motor vehicle summons was forwarded to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp said the investigation into the Oct. 12 accident that killed Elizabeth “Ella” Fuehring, 2¹/₂, remains active. Travis said the investigation is in the hands of the prosecutor, who will either retain the case or send the summons back to Municipal Court for handling.

The issuance of the summons does not mean the investigation is over; police are required to issue motor vehicle summonses on certain offenses within a month of an incident.

An employee who answered the phone at Alstede Farms on Friday said that neither McWilliams nor farm owner Kurt Alstede was available for comment. Attorney Virginia Barrett, counsel for Alstede Farms, was not available Friday.

According to the Alstede Farms website and a story published in May by the Observer-Tribune newspaper, the farm, in conjunction with The Streets of Chester Mall, spent $25,000 to buy a small van that was dubbed the “I Love Chester Express.” At least $10,000 was spent on vehicle insurance for a year, the newspaper reported.

The Alstede site said the van would be chauffeured by McWilliams. The van, also supported by the Historic Chester Business Association, made its debut in May. The van used to transport visitors for free from the NJ Transit rail station in Gladstone to shops, Alstede Farms and other tourist destinations in the Chesters.

On Oct. 12, Elizabeth Fuehring was celebrating the Chester area’s Harvest Fest when she somehow was caught between two shuttle vans in a parking area of Alstede Farms. The Chester Express was operated by McWilliams; the second shuttle was registered to a Sparta company, according to authorities.

The Prosecutor’s Office has not specifically delineated how the accident occurred but said the toddler died of head trauma.

Elizabeth's mother, Sarah Fuehring, suffered a fractured leg when she also was caught between the vehicles. Their friend Joanna Alemany, who was at the farm with the Fuehrings and her own children, suffered a fractured pelvis. Fuehring was released from Morristown Medical Center on Oct. 22, and Alemany was discharged on Oct. 21, according to center spokeswoman Maggie Goldberg.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@njpressmedia.com