Families of NJ Lockerbie Victims May Find Closure from Gaddafi Death

The death of deposed Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi may bring closure for some New Jersey families who lost loved ones in the Pan-Am Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, but for others, his death can’t undo the damage that has already been done.

Thirty-three New Jersey residents died in that Dec. 21, 1988, flight en route from London to New York. Included in that number was a member of the crew, two families, twin brothers, students, executives, engineers, researchers, a social worker, marketing managers, businessmen, a civilian military worker and an Air Force sergeant. 

Gaddafi had accepted Libya's responsibility for the bombing that killed all 259 people aboard the flight and 11 on the ground, and paid compensation to the victims' families, but he never admitted to personally ordering the attack. In February, Libya's ex-justice minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil said he has proof Gaddafi personally ordered the attack.

In Washington, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a longtime advocate for the victims of Pan Am Flight 103, said he hoped news of Gaddafi's death would bring about much-needed change in the form of a democratic society in Libya. But, he added, the investigation of the tragic plane crash over Lockerbie shouldn't die with Gaddafi. 

"The Libyans have shown us the unwillingness of people around the globe to be subjected to cruelty and degradation from corrupt rulers," Lautenberg said in a statement. "Now is the time for the Libyans to demonstrate to the U.S. that they are willing to cooperate with the investigation into the Pan Am 103 bombing."

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush appointed Lautenberg to the Pan-Am Commission to investigate the attack. According to an article in the Star-Ledger, "he advocated for families to receive compensation for the attacks and authored a bill that aided family members of victims to testify at the Hague in the Netherlands in the trial of two former Libyan intelligence agents for their role in the Lockerbie bombing." He continues to work with others pressing the Libyan government for information on the Lockerbie bombing.

Earlier this month, Lautenberg called on Libya’s transitional government to share information with the U.S. concerning the bombing of Pan Am 103 and other terrorist attacks committed against U.S. citizens.  Libya’s Transitional National Council (TNC) has since stated it will cooperate with the ongoing U.S. investigation into the bombing.

While news of Gaddafi’s death spread Thursday, many families felt the justice was long overdue, but for others, the news was bittersweet.

In Morris County, 21-year-old Syracuse University students Alexander Silas Lowenstein and John Patrick Flynn were among the victims. Both were promising seniors studying abroad for a semester in London, with hopes of joining the workforce the following year. For their families, bringing Gaddafi to justice has been a .  

, it was years before she could speak publicly about her sister Diane's death aboard Pan Am Flight 103.  Her sister’s death taught her how to taught her to cope with the 9-11 attacks on New York, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon.

"You have to continue to live," said Maslowski, 52, an owner of the Jay West Bridal shop in Haddonfield. "You can't let the terrorist tell you what to do. Then the terrorist wins."