Toms River Man, 19, Fatally Falls from Campus Apartment

West Virginia University officials confirmed yesterday that Toms River resident Brian Weithenauer, 19, fell to his death from a ledge outside a campus apartment building Sunday morning.

Weithenauer, a sophomore at WVU, was a Toms River South 2010 alumnus who played football in high school.

The Associated Press reported Morgantown police said no foul play is suspected. The WVU community called the incident a tragedy and Becky Lofstead, assistant vice president for University Communications, issued the following statement on the death:

“The West Virginia University family is very saddened by the loss of one of our students, 19-year-old Brian Weithenauer from Toms River, N.J., Sunday morning (April 8). From all accounts, Brian was a bright student (pre-B&E), a member of a fraternity (FIJI) and a popular young man in the prime of his life. A member of our Student Affairs staff has been in touch with his parents, and our Carruth Center has also been to the fraternity house to offer grief counseling – and will continue to offer counseling to his many friends as the days go by.

“Truly, this is a sad situation – a tragedy to lose someone so young. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Weithenauer family and Brian’s many friends. A campus bell ringing is planned in the near future, and transportation will be provided to and from the funeral services in New Jersey.”

The viewing will be on Thursday at Anderson and Campbell in Toms River. The hours will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m. A 10 a.m. service will take place Friday at the funeral home before burial at Saint Joseph's cemetery.