Louisa B. Carman, a 25-year-old aide to Gov. Phil Murphy, was killed in a multi-car crash on Route 1 in Plainsboro early Monday.
“Our hearts are broken as we grapple with this devastating news,” Murphy said in a statement this evening.
Carman was a policy analyst in the Governor’s Office of Health Care Affordability and Transparency. Murphy said she provided “critical support for our work to make health care more affordable and accessible for all New Jerseyans.”
Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said a 911 call came in around 1:56 AM reporting the crash in the southbound lane of Route 1 near College Road. Carman was pronounced dead on the scene.
Carman started as an intern in the fall of 2021 and was offered a full-time position within four months.
Murphy said he was “quickly impressed us with her dedication and policy acumen.”
“Although she was just beginning her career, she quickly gained a reputation as someone who could tackle difficult policy topics and develop meaningful solutions — serving as a driving force behind our prescription drug affordability and medical debt relief work, Murphy said.
Carman was a 2021 graduate of Swarthmore College. She had interned at Latinos Progresando and the Washington Office on Latin America.
“Louisa will be remembered as a kind and caring colleague who approached her work with grace, integrity, and a deep commitment to making a difference in our world. I, and everyone on our team, will miss her terribly. Our prayers are with her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.”
The governor’s chief counsel, Parimal Garg, called Carman “everything you could want in a young policy staffer – kind, smart, dedicated and deeply committed to the public interest.”
”She was at only the beginning of a career filled with promise,” he said. “Everyone at the Governor’s Office is heartbroken tonight and praying for her family.”