Apr 30, 2025 2 min read

A Jefferson man killed Tuesday night after a tree fell onto a moving car during Tuesday night’s thunderstorms in Greene County was remembered by former teachers as being bright and hard-working.

Andrew Celaschi, 25, was the passenger in a Toyota Corolla that was headed westbound on Jefferson Road in Franklin Township, about 150 feet north of the intersection with Valley Farm Drive, according to a report from state police. About 5:30 p.m., a tree on the northern embankment fell into the roadway, hitting the top of the car.

Celaschi was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, Madison Celaschi, 26, of Jefferson, was uninjured in the crash.

Superintendent Brandon Robinson, who first taught Andrew Celaschi in sixth grade before becoming his principal at Jefferson-Morgan High School, remembered him as “quiet, but very, very bright.”

He had excelled not just at the school, but the county’s Career and Technology Center, Robinson said.

“He was a very bright student,” he said. “He got along with everybody.”

Celaschi had studied welding at the CTC for three years, said his instructor, Shawn Golden. On a co-op with RM Manufacturing in Waynesburg, his skill at plasma burning with a computer system earned him a job straight out of high school, Golden said.

“He was just quiet, a real gentleman, and a great student,” he said.

He gave condolences to the family, who he said have been great for the district and “very involved” over the years.

“It’s just a very unfortunate situation, and for that to happen to such a great young man,” he said.

In a release Wednesday, Greene County Coroner Gene Rush said the cause and manner of death are pending investigation.