N.J. high school baseball player, 16, dies in ATV crash in Georgia

Matthew J. Carlson, 16, of Spotswood.
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A New Jersey high school student with a promising future in baseball died on Thanksgiving from injuries he suffered in an ATV crash in Georgia, authorities said.

Matthew J. Carlson, 16, of Middlesex County, died in a hospital the day after the accident, which occurred Wednesday night in Hancock County, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

Carlson was a sophomore at Spotswood High School, where he lettered in varsity baseball and played basketball. He was a lifelong resident of Spotswood, according to his obituary.

“He had hoped to be able to go to Vanderbilt University (in Nashville) and continue playing the game he loved and maybe move into playing professionally,” the Carlson family said in his obituary.

Carlson also played for the RedHawks, a travel baseball program run by the Zoned Sports Academy. On Monday, the academy posted a video tribute to Carlson using images provided by players, coaches and parents.

“Matthew, we will miss you and our prayers and blessings go out to your family, friends, teammates, coaches, and everyone that was part of your journey,” the academy said on Facebook.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, troopers from Milledgeville were called about 11 p.m. Wednesday to a single-vehicle crash on Anna Poole Road in Sparta, Hancock County.

“(Carlson) was operating a side-by-side vehicle when he lost control and the vehicle overturned,” the state patrol said in a statement.

A family member took Carlson to a local hospital, where he was treated for his injuries before being flown to another medical facility in Augusta, Georgia. He died about 4 a.m. on Thursday, authorities said.

The Union-Recorder of Milledgeville reported Carlson was driving a 2020 Can-Am Maverick X3 on private property when the crash occurred.

Services are planned for Thursday at Immaculate Conception Church in Spotswood and will be followed by a funeral and entombment in South Brunswick on Friday, according to the obituary.

Officials with Spotswood Public Schools did not immediately respond Tuesday to requests for comment.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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