Hollis teen dies in crash

HOLLIS – A 16-year-old boy died Saturday from injuries he received in an automobile rollover Friday night, police said.

Nicholas Jennings, of 63 Louise Drive in Hollis, lost control of a 1993 Ford Explorer while driving west on Route 130, police Lt. Russell Ux said. The vehicle overturned several times and Jennings was ejected, Ux said.

Speed is being considered a factor in the continuing investigation, police Sgt. Richard Mello said.

“It’s sad. The kids are all upset,” Hollis-Brookline Principal Charles Flahive said. “He was just a real gentleman. A very, very nice kid.”

Jennings, a sophomore at the school, played lacrosse and was a running back on the football team. Flahive called him a good athlete who also helped out in youth lacrosse.

“He really was a nice kid, really quiet,” Flahive said. “He had a lot talent. He took school seriously.”

Jennings was first transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, Fire Chief Rick Towne said. But then a helicopter carried Jennings to a Boston hospital, Ux said.

A passenger in the Explorer, 17-year-old Charles Corey of Brookline, received minor injuries, Ux said. He was treated at St. Joseph Hospital.

Corey, who was not ejected, wore a seatbelt, Ux said. It is unknown whether Jennings wore a seatbelt, he said. Police said they did not know where the teens were driving from, or if there are any witnesses.

Jennings was born in Nashua, and is the son of David Jennings of Brookline and Diane Jennings-Lilley of Hollis.

Friends created a makeshift memorial close to where the rollover occurred. Flowers, wooden crosses, a personalized message saying “We love you Nick” and a photograph lie near where the vehicle came to rest.

The rollover occurred on a winding section of Route 130, where the speed limit is 45 miles-per-hour.

Grief counselors were available at the school Saturday, and will offer assistance again today and Monday, Flahive said. The school and family want to establish a scholarship in Jennings’ name, he said.

“It’s a tragic loss for the school,” Flahive said. “Our whole community feels it.”