February 8, 2005 Blooming Grove

An 18-year-old Washingtonville High School graduate was killed and his classmate injured in a car crash over the weekend in which police say speeding was the culprit.    Jonathan P. Purcell, who lived in Blooming Grove, and his passenger, 19-year-old Gregory Pentz, were traveling east shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday on Route 94 when the crash happened, said Blooming Grove Detective Sgt. John Heppes.    Purcell, a media arts major at SUNY Rockland, lost control of the 1999 Volkswagen Jetta he was driving. The car veered off the road, hit an embankment and trees, then flipped over, officials said.    Purcell, who graduated in 2004, was pronounced dead at the scene from internal injuries, Heppes said.  Pentz, who lives in Washingtonville and also graduated high school in 2004, suffered minor injuries. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern for treatment and released on Sunday, Heppes said.    The accident is still under investigation but Heppes said it appears Purcell was traveling at an "excessive speed" at the time of the crash.

Kristina Wells

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