Clifton Friends Rally Behind Jacob, 16, After Minibike Crash on Main Avenue

Jacob and his friend Jandell Borrero went out riding gas-powered minibikes on a Sunday night in Clifton. Jandell is now the one asking the city to help get Jacob home.

Clifton police said the crash happened at about 7:49 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Main Avenue and West Third Street. Officers found a 16-year-old Clifton boy seriously hurt after the motorized minibike he was riding collided with a Toyota Corolla. The Corolla's driver, a 20-year-old Paterson man, and his two passengers, both 20-year-old Clifton women, had minor injuries, and one of them was taken to the hospital, police said. The department's Traffic Division is investigating.

Borrero, 18, was riding just ahead of his friend. In the fundraiser he started, he wrote that a car turned in front of Jacob, who tried to swerve but crashed into it. Police have not said what caused the crash. According to the fundraiser, Jacob suffered a broken jaw, two broken femurs, a broken hand and bleeding in the brain, and he remains unconscious.

The fundraiser, "Support Jacob Derrico's Recovery," is meant to help Jacob's parents with medical bills and the strain of the weeks ahead. "The road ahead is uncertain, and the emotional and financial strain on the family is immense," Borrero wrote. By Thursday afternoon it had raised more than $10,000 of its $24,000 goal from 162 donations.

Borrero also wants other riders to learn from that night. "This heartbreaking accident is also a reminder of how important it is to always wear a helmet whenever riding," he wrote. For anyone who can't give, he asked people to keep Jacob in their prayers and share the page.

The fundraiser is at gofundme.com/f/support-jacob-derricos-recovery. JerseyTalks has not independently verified how the funds will be used.

Source: Clifton Police Department.

Photo: GoFundMe / Jandell Borrero.