Video: Heibloem fatal crash victims identified; Among dead is reality TV participant

John Nouwen, a 38-year-old CDA municipal councilor in Leudal, was among four men killed in a single-vehicle crash in Heibloem on Sunday afternoon, police said. He was a former participant in the Dutch television program Boer Zoekt Vrouw (“Farmer Seeks Wife”).

A car carrying six men struck a tree. Four occupants died at the scene. The victims were 27, 32, 38, and 50 years old. Two other men were injured. They were a 39-year-old from Roggel and a 20-year-old from Heythuysen.

Nouwen was from Heythuysen. He is survived by two daughters. He had previously experienced a major setback in June 2025, when his poultry farm in Heibloem was destroyed by fire.

The program’s presenter, Yvonne Jaspers, reacted to Nouwen’s death on Instagram. “It is impossible to comprehend that John has died,” Jaspers said.

Public broadcaster KRO-NCRV also issued a statement. “The news of his death has deeply affected all of us. In John, we lose a remarkable person who was embraced by many viewers and by us, as the program’s makers. Our thoughts are with his dear family, friends and everyone who loved him,” the broadcaster said.