At 12:58 p.m. yesterday a car raced through the Ivy Lane intersection on Washington Road and crashed into the stone wall beside Guyot Hall, killing the driver and demolishing the car Borough Police Capt. Anthony Federico said.
The driver of the car, Ole Lillestolen, 80, appeared to suffer a "medical attack" before losing control of his 1995 Ford Escort, Federico said.
Lillestolen had worked for the University in some capacity for roughly 30 years before retiring.
No students or bystanders were injured in the incident, Federico added.
Authorities arrived on the scene moments after the accident, and Lillestolen was taken to Princeton Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Federico said.
It was not clear whether Lillestolen died from his medical condition or from the impact of the car crash.
Carol Schlesir, the supervising nurse at Princeton Medical Center, declined to comment on Lillestolen's condition.
At about 1:20 p.m. authorities had closed off the area surrounding the intersection of Ivy Lane and Washington Road. A fire engine, a rescue vehicle and about six police cars were on the scene.Lillestolen had worked for the University as a "casual employee" since 1994, University spokeswoman Marilyn Marks said. In addition to other jobs, he worked in the carpenter's shop, she said.
Lillestolen had originally retired from the University in 1989 after having worked in maintenance in the physics department at Jadwin Hall since 1967, Marks said. His last job before retiring was as maintenance supervisor.
Marks said she did not know Lillestolen's destination or whether he was driving to or from a University job.
She also said she did not know him personally, but that from what she has heard he was "quite a wonderful person."
Lillestolen lived on Bunker Hill Road in Princeton and is survived by his wife Ruth and three children.
Lillestolen's wife remembered him with great warmth in an interview yesterday.
"He was just a such a good man. He worked at the University for all these years. He was a Christian," she said. "He was a good, good man. He was so good to us. That's what I think of him."
The crash was the second car incident on Washington Road this week.
On Monday, a female University student walking on Washington Road was struck by a black Lincoln Continental that jumped the curb. The student suffered an abrasion of the knee and a chipped tooth. The vehicle, which was from out-of-state, has not been found, Borough Police Lt. Dennis McManimon said.
Public Safety Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser noted that both incidents were not normal traffic accidents. The first case was a criminal act, he said, while the second was caused by a medical attack.
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