HARBOUR GRACE, NL – On New Years Eve in 2024 Nicholas Fong and his partner Maggie Ghaney announced to family and friends that their first child was going to be a boy. In the photo they posted on Maggie’s Facebook page Nicholas holds a copy of the Maggie’s ultrasound image confirming the gender of their baby, Eli.
Eli arrived early, but Nicholas Fong never held his son. Eli never saw his father’s eyes or felt his touch or heard him say, “I love you.”
Nicholas Fong, 25, was killed by an impaired driver around 10:30 PM on Veterans Memorial Highway near Bay Roberts on March 19, 2025, a week before Eli was born.
The Impaired Driver
Jonathan Patten, 27, from Pouch Cove is the impaired driver who killed Nicholas Fong. The RCMP said it appeared that Patten’s pick-up truck crossed the centre line and collided head-on with Fong’s car. The RCMP said they found a number of “illicit impairing drugs” in Patten’s blood samples.
The drugs included cannabis, methamphetamine (street name – speed), amphetamine (street name – speed), and clonazepam, an addictive central nervous system depressant (street name K-pin). The police also found a bong and a crack pipe in Patten’s truck. The potent cocktail of uppers and downers in Patten’s blood samples led to his plead guilty on September 8th to the charge of impaired driving causing death.
Some people take comfort in the notion that everything happens for a reason. That doesn’t include Maggie Ghaney. On the first anniversary of Nicholas’ death Eli’s mother posted the following on her Facebook page: “no..everything does not happen for a reason. there is no reason Nick Fong shouldn’t be here watching our son, Eli grow up. there is absolutely no reason for him being gone besides the fact an impaired idiot who decided to get behind the wheel that night. THAT is the reason this happened.”
Sentencing Options
During the February 2026 sentencing hearing Patten’s defense attorney Rosellen Sullivan, told Provincial Court Judge Mark Pike that her client has no criminal record and suggested he was emotionally distressed by the suicide of his father in January. Sullivan recommend her client be sentenced to 2 years of house arrest and be given three-year driving ban.
Jonathan Patten’s father, John “Jay” Patten, committed suicide after an armed stand-off with RNC officers that led to a shelter-in-place warning in Pouch Cove. It wasn’t the first time John “Jay” Patten was involved in an armed stand-off with the RNC. In 2019 he was charged with careless use of a firearm and other firearms offences after another shelter-in-place episode in Pouch Cove. At one point in that tense hours-long stand-off an RNC officer discharged his firearm.
Crown Prosecutor Adrienne Janes recommended that Jonathan Patten be sentenced to three years in prison and given a life-time driving ban.
Maggie Ghaney wrote on Facebook, “anything you get it will NEVER be enough for what you caused. nick should be here”.
No Criminal Record, But. . . . .
Jonathan Patten does not have a criminal record, but his September appearance in Courtroom No. 2 in Harbour Grace isn’t the first time Patten has been in front of a judge. When he was 18-years-old Jonathan and his father appeared in court together at a Peace Bond hearing accused of threatening my partner and I.
In his 2015 judgement Provincial Court Judge Michael Madden said the father and son were, “acting in a petty, childish, and cowardly manner more often seen in a school yard than between adults. That Mr. Patten Jr. indulged in this behavior is undoubtedly the fault in no small part of the father.”
In part of her testimony my partner described an incident where Jonathan Patten swerved his car at her as she walked along the Main Road in Pouch Cove. In his decision judge Michael Madden noted the use of his vehicle was a “major part of the campaign to emotionally torment” her. Judge Madden went on to say, “I have no doubt that the 18-year-old Jonathan give a little swerve towards” her. “I am sure Mr. Patten Jr. did not intend to run (her) over. He only intended to scare her. That is not the point. Dangerous activities may have unintended consequences.”
Unintended Consequences
Nick Fong played basketball for the Ascension Collegiate Astros. His nickname was “Slick.” The number on his blue and white jersey was 52. Today Eli wears a blue and white basketball jersey with the number 52 on it, but he will never shoot baskets in the driveway with his dad or hear him cheer when Eli makes a good play.
Eli will never hold his father’s hand either, but when he holds his mother’s right hand he’ll be reminded of his father by the lines of a tattoo that say “Nick” and flow into a diagram of a heart.
In January Eli Fong and other members of Nicholas’ family sued Jonathan Patten for damages. Part of the claim is for the loss of “deprivation of love, care, guidance, comfort, example. . .and companionship.”
Nicholas Fong’s obituary is online at Slades Funeral Homes website. In addition to his obituary the website has a Tribute Wall where family and friends can share their condolences and memories of Nick.
Eli’s Mom, Maggie, wrote the following on the funeral home’s Tribute Wall, “I will never stop loving and missing you my darling life is so unfair your baby boy is here safe and sound I know you were watching over us & kept us safe & brought him here early because you knew we all needed him here more now than ever. Oh Nick he looks just like you my baby I wish he got to know his amazing daddy and how proud you are of him I promise I’ll be his mommy & daddy your memory will never die my angel I’ll love you until I see you again your baby boy Eli says “I am your boy daddy” love & miss you beyond words.” ❤
On April 16 Provincial Court Judge Mark Pike sentenced Jonathan Patten to three years in prison.
Judge Pike said, Jonathan Patten’s behavior “should be punished” and his sentence is a message that impaired driving should be “denounced” and “deterred.”
Jonathan Patten left the courtroom in handcuffs.
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