Last modified: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 1:05 AM EDT Jordan D. Cibley (Submitted) In Foxboro, mourning a very special young man BY AMY DeMELIA, DAVID LINTON and MICHAEL GELBWASSER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO - The father of a Foxboro High School senior killed in a car crash Sunday was on the phone with his son when the car slammed into a tree. Jerry Cibley said Monday that he wanted to warn drivers about the dangers of driving while talking on a cell phone. Jordan D. Cibley, 18, of 17 Independence Way, was fatally injured when his car crossed the center line and struck a tree near 46 Barrows Street in Norton. Cibley was not wearing a seat belt, police said, and his car left no visible skid marks. Jerry Cibley said he was talking with his son on the phone when he crashed. "This accident happened because he was talking on the phone - I was talking to him," Cibley said. "He always wore his seat belt, and I think he dropped the phone and unbuckled his seat belt to pick it up when he hit the tree." Cibley said his family is devastated by the accident and the loss of a young man with a passion for photography who was looking forward to attending Massasoit Community College next year. "He was a very special young man," Cibley said. "He was a great photographer and beat out 1,500 other high school students and was awarded a prize in photography." At Foxboro High, excitement about graduation turned to sorrow Monday as students and teachers mourned the death of Jordan Cibley. He wasn't the best-known student in the Class of 2007. He had been at Foxboro only one year, having moved to East Foxboro from Stoughton. However, students and staff said Monday that if you knew Cibley, his smile, and his passion for photography made him unforgettable. Cibley's photographic work is on display at the high school and Boyden Library. The high school varsity football team included some of his photos in their 2006 highlight film, and awarded him a Super Bowl ring in gratitude. Students said Cibley's death is especially sad since graduation is less than a month away, on June 10. "With a tragedy like that, it's very hard, especially if it's your last year in high school," senior Chris Holmes said. Norton police say Cibley was driving a black 2001 Hyundai Accent east on Barrows Street about 4:40 p.m., when the accident occurred. He was taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, where he was pronounced dead. Patrolman David Ruskey, who is investigating with Detective Stephen Desfosses, said neither speed nor alcohol were factors in the accident. "We're still looking into what possibly led to this," Ruskey said. An autopsy was going to be performed by the state medical examiner's office. Holmes said the mood at Foxboro High on Monday was "pretty sad." "Nobody was really talking about anything. They were mostly talking about him and what he was like," Holmes said. Principal Jeffrey Theodoss said Cibley's death was announced to the school Monday morning and the school had a moment of silence in his memory. Theodoss also said grief counselors were made available to any students who needed to talk to someone. "It's pretty quiet and subdued," Theodoss said. Theodoss said he last spoke with Cibley at the school prom Saturday night. "He was a quiet, reserved student," Theodoss said. "He was a great kid. A good student." With Cibley's death coming on the heels of the prom and before graduation, he said, "It's hard on everyone." Varsity football coach Jack Martinelli said Cibley "looked like he had a very brilliant future in the field, in some type of sports photography." "He was very important to us," Martinelli said. "He was at every game, home or away, the playoffs, the Super Bowl. He'll be greatly missed. He captured a lot of the moments for the kids, and a lot of the games." Bishop Feehan High School junior Deirdre Trefry, who lives next door to Cibley in East Foxboro, recalled him "talking about how he wanted to study graphic arts in college." "He was just a happy-go-lucky kid," Trefry said. Trefry said she last saw Cibley Sunday afternoon in her driveway. "He pulled up in his car, gave a big smile, and said 'Hi,'" she said. A moment of silence was observed at Monday night's annual town meeting in the high school auditorium.