Trinca fundraiser draws hundreds

People came by the hundreds to a fundraiser at a Suffolk restaurant to support relatives of Keri and Jason Trinca, the Manorville mother and child who were killed in a car crash Saturday.

"This is unimaginable," said Adam Christopherson, a cousin of Keri Trinca, overwhelmed by the fact that more than 500 people chipped in to raise money for his family at Villa Michelangelo restaurant in Manorville. "It's hard to put into words how so many people are there when you need them."

Manager and chef Tom Costa said restaurant managers decided Monday to do what they do best to help.

Donors paid $10 for up to 16 entrees. About $5,000 was raised.

"We didn't know the family before, but the whole Manorville community is really coming together to support them," he said. "We just wanted to host this for them."

Jay Trinca, Keri's grieving husband, is scheduled to talk to the public Friday for the first time since the accident.

Keri Trinca, 30, was going east on Montauk Avenue with her three children in the backseat when a Ford van headed south on County Road 111 in Manorville struck the Honda sedan she was driving. Trinca and her older son, go-kart racer Jason, 7, died.

The driver of the van, Steven Vonfricken, 51, of St. James, was treated for nonlife-threatening injuries, police said. No charges have been filed and police said an investigation is ongoing.

A hospital spokesperson said the conditions of Maria, 4, and Christopher, 2, have been upgraded. Maria went from critical to serious; and Christopher is now in good condition.

The family has set up a memorial fund in honor of Keri and Jason. Anyone wishing to make a donation can send a check to: Trinca Family Memorial Trust, 17 Apple Ct., Ridge, NY 11961