Scott Sanczyk, a former Lafayette College student, died in a car crash on March 28 while driving on the Garden State Parkway in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He was 20.
Sanczyk attended Lafayette as a first-year student during the 2025 fall semester as a prospective economics major before transferring to Monmouth University to study business. While at Lafayette, he was part of an intramural basketball team and enjoyed golfing and playing tennis with his friends.
Sanczyk was remembered by his loved ones as an enthusiastic, compassionate family member and teammate.
“Scott was an amazing person and a great friend,” JT Cook ‘28 wrote in an email. Cook recalled a fond memory of attending a Rutgers University football game with Sanczyk, during which he checked on the blood sugar levels of Cook, a Type 1 diabetic.
“Scott was a guy you could always count on to think of you,” Matthew Rowe ’28 and Graham Silberfein ’28 wrote in a joint email. “He had a very special skill to notice if someone was feeling excluded and be sure to make them feel welcome.”
During his Kinnelon High School bowling career, Sanczyk bowled one perfect “300” game and ranked as high as fourth in New Jersey. He also served as the captain of Kinnelon’s golf team, which won a sectional championship.
“What was even more impressive, was the fact that he never talked about it,” wrote Sanczyk’s brother, Steven Sanczyk, in a eulogy he shared with The Lafayette. “He cared more about others’ success than his own. Not bad for a kid blazing his own trail.”
“Scott was the definition of passionate,” said Dominique Wirsing, Scott Sanczyk’s cousin, in a speech at a memorial last Saturday.
James Soules, who coached Sanczyk on both the Kinnelon bowling and golf teams, credited his leadership as a major factor in the bowling team’s one state and two sectional championships.
“Scotty was so personable, he made each and every person he talked to the most important thing in his life at that instant,” Soules wrote in an email. “Opposing coaches and players would come to say hello to Scotty when they arrived at the alley.”
Soules explained that Sanczyk stayed involved with the bowling team after graduation, sending players motivational messages before matches.
“Next year’s seniors will be the last class that will have bowled with Scotty on the team – but Scotty will be there with us always – trying to knock down that wobbly ten pin for us,” Soules wrote.
Multiple family members mentioned his passion for supporting his favorite sports teams, especially the New York Jets.
“He was not a casual fan,” Sanczyk’s aunt, Denise Wirsing, wrote in an email.
“He always had a way to make you laugh, to make you feel thought of and to make you feel loved and special,” she continued.
Sanczyk’s family has established the Scott Sanczyk Scholarship Fund in his memory, according to his obituary from Scanlan’s Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be accepted to the fund via check to the Kinnelon Board of Education.