Cindi Romano, 65, was behind the wheel of her Jeep Wrangler when it struck a mailbox and then a utility pole on Otter Hole Road between Westbrook Road and Highview Drive near her home at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, authorities said.
Romano was pronounced dead at the scene, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and West Milford Police Chief James DeVore said in a brief release on Monday.
No other vehicles were involved, they said.
Cynthia Romano was one of 223 private property owners in the Lindy’s Lake neighborhood. She served as vice president of the homeowners association and handled rentals of the Manor House event venue.
She was “a kind woman who opened her home and her heart to my son and all of her sons friends,” Joy Becker wrote in tribute.
“Genuinely one of the best people I got the chance to meet,” added Michael Nazarro.
Romano leaves a son, Nicholas, and her dog, Luna.
Lauren Schwartz called the news “devastating.”
“While I didn’t know her for very long, she very kindly welcomed my husband and I into the community when we moved here two and half years ago and was always very friendly to us,” Schwartz said.
“I am numb like everyone else, I can't believe Cindi is gone,” Linda Casey Minnoia wrote. “I will miss her from the bottom of my heart.”
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