NJ grandmother and partner killed by stolen G-Wagon in Mays Landing crash

Alice Stilwell, 67, a hairdresser nearing retirement, and Robert Barr Jr., 54, died Saturday after joyriding teens crashed a stolen Mercedes into their car.

Beloved hair stylist, 67, and partner killed after stolen SUV slams into their car in Mays Landing

A New Jersey grandmother who was weeks from retirement was killed Saturday morning when a group of teenagers driving a stolen $220,000 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon slammed into the sedan she was traveling in, according to NY Post Metro.

Alice Stilwell, 67, of Egg Harbor, and her partner of more than 20 years, Robert Barr Jr., 54, both died when the luxury SUV struck their Hyundai near Route 50 and Third Street in Mays Landing, Atlantic County, at approximately 7:50 a.m. The teens had been driving on the wrong side of the road at the time of impact, sending the vehicle careering into a nearby gas station, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said.

Stilwell had worked as a hair stylist since the early 1990s, a calling her family described in her obituary as far more than a profession. "The chair became a place where people could feel heard, understood, encouraged, and loved. She was a stylist, but she was also a counselor, a therapist, a trusted friend, and to so many of her clients, a source of comfort," the obituary states.

A mother and grandmother to 10, Stilwell had recently cut back her hours as she and Barr looked ahead to retirement — yet, her family noted, she "could never quite bring herself to walk away from her chair." The obituary adds: "She loved her clients far too much. Helping people feel beautiful, confident, and cared for was simply part of who she was."

Outside the salon, Stilwell channeled her creativity into artwork and what her family called "whimsical creations," which she sold at local farmers markets.

The fatal crash was the end of an hours-long pursuit. Local police had first attempted to stop the stolen 2024 G-Wagon — bearing Pennsylvania license plates — around 3:40 a.m., after it blew past an officer in Longport who signaled it to pull over. Officers spotted the vehicle again around 7:45 a.m. in Hamilton Township and gave chase, but lost sight of it just minutes before the collision, prosecutors said.

The teenagers escaped the wreck largely uninjured and attempted to flee the scene on foot, but were quickly taken into custody, authorities said. Nayshaun Brown, 18, of Atlantic City, along with three juveniles who were not named because of their age, have been charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, joyriding, and eluding police.

Stilwell's family closed her obituary with a reflection on her enduring impact: "The unexpected circumstances surrounding Alice's passing have left an immeasurable hole in the lives of those who loved her, yet her legacy will not end with her passing. It will live on in her daughters, her grandchildren, family, friends, the people Alice made feel beautiful, the people she comforted, the people she encouraged, and in every creative piece made by hands and hearts that she inspired."

Source: NY Post Metro