LINCOLN, RI — The Bryant University community is reeling after a tragic early‑morning crash claimed the lives of two students in Lincoln. The deadly accident occurred around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 25, when a pickup truck traveling the wrong way on Route 146 North collided head‑on with a Chevrolet Tahoe near the Route 116 interchange. Both vehicles were engulfed in flames upon impact.

Authorities confirmed that the pickup truck, driven by 41-year-old Denis Aguilar Campos of Chelsea, Massachusetts, was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes at high speed. Campos was pronounced dead at the scene. The Tahoe was carrying two Bryant University students: Jaylin Rainford, 20, of Randolph, Massachusetts, who was driving, and Chiemelie Okonkwo, 20, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, a passenger. Both students tragically died at the scene. Police confirmed there were no other occupants in either vehicle.

Bryant University issued a statement expressing profound sorrow over the loss of Rainford and Okonkwo. Rainford, a member of the school’s track and field program, was remembered as “a talented athlete, a leader, and a young man who brought joy to those around him.” The university extended its condolences to the families, friends, and teammates of both students during this heartbreaking time.