LAKELAND, FL : Former Lakelander killed in head-on collision on Monday, December 5th, 2016

A New Jersey State Police trooper who grew up in Lakeland was killed Monday night in a head-on collision while responding to a call in Millville City.Frankie Williams, 31, a 2002 graduate of George Jenkins High School in Lakeland, was behind the wheel of his police cruiser about 7 p.m. when a motorist crossed a Route 55 grass median into his path, according to the New Jersey State Police.
In a Facebook post, the police agency said Williams was flown to Cooper University Hospital in Camden where he was pronounced dead.
The driver of the other vehicle, a red Toyota, also was killed. An investigation of the crash is ongoing.
Williams was nearing the first anniversary of his work for the New Jersey State Police, having graduated Jan. 29 from the state police academy. He was assigned to Port Norris Station.
A representative of state police headquarters in Trenton, N.J., told The Daily Journal in Vineland that the Corolla driver was an "older man" in his 60s whose identity hasn't been released, pending notification of relatives.
Williams, who recently married, is remembered by friends as an outstanding young man.
"He was a swell kid, we loved him dearly," said Donna Wood, a spokeswoman for the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Her three children and Williams were close friends."We'd like to thank him for service to the State Highway Patrol of New Jersey," Buddy Thomas, principal at George Jenkins high, said in a prepared statement. "We'll keep his family in our thoughts and prayers."
According to The Daily Journal, Williams was a 2012 graduate of Rutgers University-Camden, where he earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He was pursuing a master's degree in criminal justice.
He quickly earned the respect of peers, who wrote on Facebook that Williams was "an outstanding trooper" who was quick on his feet and capable of making sound decisions. He was lauded in August for rescuing a dog that had been left inside a hot car.

Source :
Former Lakelander killed in head-on collision