WEST POINT, N.Y. — A West Point football player from New York City died in a car accident hours after helping Army win its second straight game.
Cadet Brandon Jackson, a 20-year-old sophomore from Queens, died in a single-car accident at around 1:50 a.m. Sunday in Westchester County, north of New York City, according to police and the U.S. Military Academy.
Police in Croton-on-Hudson said Jackson was driving by himself when he hit a guardrail. The accident is under investigation. Police and academy officials did not provide information on where Jackson was headed when his vehicle crashed about 20 miles south of West Point, across the Hudson River from the academy.
Jackson was a starting defensive back and recorded two solo tackles and one assist in Army’s 31-14 win Saturday over Rice. Army is 2-0.
“We will honor his life as we mourn the untimely death of a young man who had a promising future as a leader in service to our nation,” said West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. “Brandoninternalized our watch words: duty, honor, country.”
Caslen said Jackson was following the example of his mother, an Iraq War veteran.
Head coach Jeff Monken called Jackson a beloved teammate.
“Words cannot describe the grief that our team is feeling over the loss of our brother and friend Brandon,” Monken said.
