LAKEWOOD-Little is still known about a crash that involved an Ocean County Sheriff’s Department officer enroute to a routine call in Lakewood Wednesday afternoon after the driver struck a 17 year old girl walking on the northbound shoulder on New Hampshire Avenue.
Toms River and Lakewood Police arrived on scene, but neither department has issued a media release on the incident, which is typical in a non-officer involved crash within the first 24 hours after the incident.
Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy deferred media questions to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Calls made to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Freeholder / Director of Public Safety Jack Kelly have either yet to be returned or calls have been missed and return calls have not been returned.
According to the New Jersey State Police, Juan Mercado, 44, of Jackson struck the Lakewood girl at approximately 1:25 pm as she was walking on the shoulder.
According to The Lakewood Scoop, the girl was rushed to Jersey Shore Medical Center’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit where she was in critical condition.