Funeral services set for Union Catholic grad from Clark killed near University of Delaware

Noelia Gomez is being remembered as a classmate's first friend, an always-smiling co-worker who knew how to make everyone laugh, and a young woman with a beautiful personality and tremendous heart.

One friend said Gomez was like a sister for the last 12 years, someone she will never forget, while another said Gomez brought joy and love to their life.

Those are some of the tributes posted on the obituary for Gomez, 18, of Clark, who was fatally struck by a motorcycle Aug. 28 near the University of Delaware campus where she was starting her first year.

Born in Jersey City, Gomez was a lifelong Clark resident. She graduated from Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains with honors this year, and had just begun college at UD, according to her obituary posted on the Walter Johnson Funeral Home website.

Repeated attempts to reach someone at Union Catholic High School and the Archdiocese of Newark have been unsuccessful.

Gomez was studying accounting and business management at college, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Gomez, who enjoyed dancing and cheerleading, is survived by her parents, Francisco and Ana Maria (Casais) Gomez; her brother, Daniel Gomez; grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, the obituary states.

Visitation will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3 at Walter Johnson Funeral Home, 803 Raritan Road, Clark. A funeral Mass will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4 at St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church, 332 Madison Hill Road, Clark and entombment will follow in St. Gertrude Cemetery, 53 Inman Ave., in the Colonia section of Woodbridge.

According to police, shortly before midnight Tuesday a motorcyclist was fleeing a University of Delaware police traffic stop on East Main Street in Newark, Delaware, at a high speed and fatally struck Gomez, who was crossing in the crosswalk on West Main Street, just west of North College Avenue. The driver was ejected, while the motorcycle continued and hit four more pedestrians. Those pedestrians suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Bystanders assisted Gomez but were unable to save her and she was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The motorcyclist, Brian Briddle, 27, of Delaware, was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He has been charged with Gomez's murder , a second-degree crime in Delaware. Briddle also faces a weapons offense and several traffic violations. Briddle was being held in a Delaware correctional institution on Friday after failing to post more than $362,000 in cash bail.

Contributing: Delaware News Journal staff writers Esteban Parra and Hannah Edelman

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Funeral services set for Union Catholic grad from Clark killed near University of Delaware