Family, friends bid final farewell to slain college student from New Jersey

Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Family, friends bid final farewell to slain college student from New Jersey
Toni Yates reports on the funeral for the slain college student from NJ.

PRINCETON JUNCTION, New Jersey (WABC) -- Hundreds of mourners packed a temple in New Jersey Wednesday for the funeral of a 21-year-old college student who authorities say mistakenly got into the wrong car and was kidnapped and killed in South Carolina last week.

Family and friends gathered at Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction to bid a final farewell to Samantha Josephson, with burial following in Perrinesville.

Josephson was a senior at University of South Carolina in Columbia who was planning to go to law school at Drexel University after graduation.

"The sadness that has been suffered will never end," the victim's cousin, Seth Josephson, said to reporters outside the funeral. "It may wane in the future but will always leave a hole in the hearts a fun-loving, generous, kind parents and sister."

Related: Father of slain South Carolina student: 'I can't tell you how painful this is'

Columbia police believe she mistakenly got into a vehicle she thought was her Uber.

Authorities say 24-year-old Nathaniel Rowland used child safety locks to prevent Josephson from escaping his vehicle.

Josephson's body was found a day later. Officials said she died of multiple sharp injuries.

"Samantha was a wonderful girl who will forever be deeply missed," Seth Josephson said.

Rowland was arrested last Saturday after a traffic stop.

A bill has now been introduced in the South Carolina Legislature that would require Uber and Lyft drivers to display an illuminated sign on vehicle windows.

A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday in Josephson's hometown of Robbinsville.

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