DEADLY ENCOUNTER

College Basketball Player Found Slumped in Car, Shot Dead

Phil Urban may have arranged to meet an acquaintance at a New Jersey nature preserve, authorities said.

A college basketball player who was found slumped in the driver’s seat of his car with a gunshot wound has succumbed to his injuries, authorities confirmed Sunday. Phil Urban was discovered on Saturday night when police responded to a call from a New Jersey nature preserve, where they found Urban in a white Mercedes. The 6-foot-6 forward was transported to a hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later, the Mercer County Prosecutor said Sunday. NJHoops.com credited Urban as a former Pennington School star and current Post University freshman who played his last game Dec. 6. In April, the Post’s basketball team described him as a “skilled wing from Manapalan NJ who can play multiple positions.” The shooting is under investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Hopewell Township Police Department, with preliminary clues indicating he “arranged to meet an acquaintance at the reserve and was shot at some point during the encounter.” No arrests have been made.