Teen Killed By Car Had Moved To NJ For Better Life Four Months Prior, Campaign Says

Maria Lorena Orellana-Valverde, 18, had only recently moved to Randolph when she was fatally struck by a vehicle on Friday, Nov. 29, according to a fundraiser set up for her family. The GoFundMe says she moved to New Jersey from Ecuador for a better future with her mother four months before her death.

"She went out to buy a hamburger and found death without looking for it," writes campaign founder Julie Sanchez.

A 2022 Honda HRV hit the Randolph resident at the intersection of Route 10 and Cedar Grove Road, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said. Orellana-Valverde was transported to Morristown Medical Center, where she died, authorities said.

As of Tuesday, Dec. 10, the fundraiser has raised $8,725. A private viewing was held on Thursday, Dec. 5 at Villas America Funeral Home in Newark, her obituary reads. Funeral arrangements were private, according to her obituary.

To view the fundraiser, click here. To view her obituary, click here.

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