By CNA Staff

Metuchen, N.J., May 13, 2021 / 11:01 am America/Denver (CNA).

A seminarian for the Diocese of Metuchen was killed Tuesday evening in a hit-and-run accident in Manhattan.

Ngu Quoc “Peter” Tran, 29, was a first-year theology student at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.

Tran was reportedly crossing the street in Manhattan’s East Side around 10:15 pm on May 11 when he was hit by a suspected drunk driver. Tran was rushed to hospital, where he died soon after.

“Any time we hear of the sudden loss of life, especially the loss of someone so young, it is heartbreaking,” Bishop James Checchio of Metuchen said May 12.

“But the tragic loss of Peter – the loss to his family, to his brother seminarians and to our local Church – is immense and would be insufferable without our Catholic faith and trust in our Heavenly Father, so I ask you to please join me in praying for Peter, his family and the many affected by this terrible loss.”

The driver fled the scene and was arrested and charged later that night when his car was involved in another collision.

Tran was born and raised in An Giang Province in the south of Vietnam, and was one of six siblings. He came to the United States in 2017 after earning a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and working as an English and religion teacher in Vietnam.

According to the diocese, Tran served in summer assignments at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish, South Plainfield, N.J.; Saint James the Less Parish, Jamesburg, N.J.; Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, Bridgewater, N.J.; and the Parish of the Visitation, New Brunswick, N.J.

“From every interaction with Peter, even from his application to become a seminarian for our diocese, it was evident that he had a strong friendship with Jesus Christ, a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and a love for our Blessed Mother,” Bishop Checchio said.

Bishop Checcio celebrated Mass at the seminary soon after Tran’s death.

“He was a prayerful and faithful man, so even through this challenging time, I know he would encourage prayer. Through our sorrows and pain, our Blessed Mother is with us and is undoubtedly accompanying Peter to the merciful embrace of her son, Jesus,” Bishop Checcio concluded.