Toddler Killed in SUV Accident at New Jersey Farm

A 2-year-old boy, identified as James Gabriel, was fatally struck by a reversing SUV while on a pumpkin-picking excursion with his family on Saturday. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. at Bullock Farms in Cream Ridge, New Jersey.

James was walking hand-in-hand with his grandmother, Ellen Gabriel, when the Chrysler SUV reversed into them. His grandmother survived the incident, though she was trapped under the vehicle and sustained minor injuries. The boy's father, Robert Gabriel, was walking ahead with his infant daughter at the time of the accident.

“Everybody’s devastated,” Robert Gabriel told NJ.com. “He was as healthy as could be. He was as happy as could be.” He described the outing as intended to be a “beautiful weekend” for pumpkin picking and watching football. The family was en route to the farm when the tragedy unfolded.

James was transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead due to blunt force trauma injuries. His parents remembered him as a child who loved trucks, cars, and planes, finding excitement in everyday observations. "Through his eyes, we learned to stop, look, and share in that excitement with him," his mother, Meiling Gabriel, wrote in a fundraiser.

Bullock Farms issued a statement calling the incident a “terrible tragedy” and expressed being “heartbroken by this unimaginable loss.”

New Jersey State Police are investigating the crash and have not yet announced whether any charges will be filed against the driver of the SUV.