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Erik Eidner had been with a group of people at his home late Wednesday and apparently went out for food sometime after midnight, Ramsey Police Chief Bryan Gurney said.
The 2019 Mahwah High School graduate had gotten out of the vehicle and was in the left lane of the northbound highway outside Wendy's, the chief said, when he was struck and killed by what responders said was a tractor-trailer.
His body was then run over by a passenger car.
What Eidner was doing in the roadway wasn't immediately clear.
"I saw him walking in the left lane," a motorist told Daily Voice.
Northbound Route 17 remained closed until nearly 5 a.m. so investigators could determine what happened.
Responders included the Bergen County Prosecutor's Fatal Accident Investigations Unit, Ramsey police and the Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification, which collected evidence.
A Ridgefield native -- and a triplet -- Eidner played varsity football at Mahwah High School in 2017 and 2018 and wrestled varsity from 2016 to 2018.
"Erik, you will always be part of the Mahwah wrestling family," Benjamin Wagman, the MHS wrestling coach, posted on Eidner's obituary. "I still remember your first varsity win against Old Tappan. While as a team we didn’t win, everyone was going nuts when you pinned your opponent."
Friend Joe Kozdra said that Eidner "brought such positivity with him where ever he went because of [a] joker-like attitude and accompanying smile."
ARRANGEMENTS: Visiting hours are scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, immediately followed by a funeral service, at Wanamaker & Carlough Funeral Home at 177 Route 59, Suffern, NY. (845) 357-0423.
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