A family is honoring the memory of their son in an unusual but meaningful way with the dedication of a new highway interchange.

John R. Elliott graduated in 2000 with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy and was headed home to celebrate his mother’s birthday at her home in Egg Harbor Township. He chose to exit Route 295 at Route 40 instead of continuing to Route 42 and the Atlantic City Expressway. Elliott was killed in a head-on crash with a drunk driver.
“This interchange literally would have saved our son’s life if it had been available on July 22, 2000, when he was traveling home for his mother’s birthday from Annapolis,” his father Bill told New Jersey 101.5.

“I had encouraged our son to take 295, which would have been a safer route, but there was no direct connection between I-295 and Route 42 to get to our home at the Jersey Shore at the time. And so he chose Route 40, and unfortunately, his life tragically intersected with a drunk driver.”

According to Bill Elliott, the driver had been arrested earlier in the evening but the friend who picked him up from police put him back behind the wheel.

Channeling devastation into action

A new interchange with full connections between the two highways was completed in 2023 by the New Jersey Department of Transportation after nearly 20 years and was dedicated to Ensign John R. Elliott on Thursday. Three roadside signs were erected on the two highways following a ceremony hosted by the NJ DOT at the Bellmawr Batting Cage.

“We hope that as people learn the story of what happened to him it will be clear why the interchange is named in his memory. But in addition, we hope that they will learn more about the story of John Elliott, what he could have done had he lived the great things he would have accomplished, and hopefully the things that we’ve accomplished in his memory,” Bill Elliott said.

The Elliott family took their devastation from the death of John to create the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign to promote the use of designated drivers.

“His death could have been prevented if the person who bailed his friend out from jail the night he was killed had taken his friend home instead of put him back behind the wheel while still intoxicated. So the role of the designated driver became central to our HERO campaign,” Bill Elliott said.

The creation of “John’s Law”

The HERO campaign partnered with police departments, schools and colleges, bar and tavern owners and NFL and Major League Baseball teams, including the Phillies, to encourage people to be designated drivers.

“We believe that if there’s enough people to give folks a safe ride home when they’ve had too much to drink that we could avoid tragedies like the one that took the life of our son,” Bill Elliott said.

The ceremony included unveiling two HERO patrol vehicles for a fleet of 30.

“Bill and the Elliott family are great people and I was honored to be a part of the dedication of the highway in their son’s memory. The awareness that the HERO Campaign has provided has surely saved numerous lives. I am committed to having Lawrence Township Police Department assist in promoting the mission of this campaign,” Lawrence Police Chief Chris Longo said.

The death of John Elliott also inspired “John’s Law,” which was signed into law in 2001. It requires police to impound the cars of those arrested for DUI for 12 hours so they cannot drive while still intoxicated.

John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange Dedication Photo Gallery