Crime & Safety

Police Identify Vernon Student Who Died in South Windsor Accident

Accident claimed the lives of two teenagers, injured three others.

Police have released the names of the victims in Saturday evening’s fatal motor vehicle accident on the South Windsor-East Windsor border in which two teenage girls died and three others were hospitalized.

Matthew Masse, 18, of Hemlock Drive, Vernon, and Brooke Wormstedt, 15 of East Road, East Windsor, died at the scene of the accident, police said.

“It should be noted that Matthew is a female but his gender identity is male,” South Windsor Chief of Police Matthew Reed said. “Wormstedt and Masse were in the back seat at the time of the crash.”

The names of the injured are as follows: Sara S. Ballard, 19, of Sandstone Drive, South Windsor.  Ballard has been identified as the driver of the vehicle; Christine E. Huppe, 17, of Wedgewood Ln, South Windsor; and, Megan E. Barnaby, 16, of Rice Road, East Windsor.

The vehicle, a black, 2003 Ford Explorer, is registered to Gerard Ballard, 62, of Manchester, according to police.

The condition of the hospitalized passengers is not available at this time, Reed said.

South Windsor resident Daryl Arel, a former South Windsor High student who was praying at the scene of the accident on Sunday, said that he is best friends with Masse’s brother, a Marine, and that he met Matthew Masse on several occasions.

“She was a nice girl,” Arel said. “She was sweet. It’s tragic.”

Grief counseling for Vernon residents will be available from 10 a.m. to noon on Monday at Vernon Youth Services, 9 Elm St. Counseling will also be available at Vernon public schools throughout the week.

Vernon Patch Local Editor Chris Dehnel contributed to this article.


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