LAKEWOOD TOWNSHIP, NJ – A serious motor vehicle accident in Lakewood Township is currently under active investigation.
Early Saturday morning, at around 2:20 a.m., Lakewood Township Police Department officers were dispatched to the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Cedar Bridge Avenue due to reports of a significant crash.
Preliminary findings from the investigation, carried out by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad in collaboration with the Lakewood Township Police Department, revealed that a 2009 Honda Accord with four occupants was headed east on Cedar Bridge Avenue.
The Accord’s driver failed to heed a red traffic light, subsequently colliding with a 2008 Dodge Truck in the intersection. The force of the collision led the Dodge Truck to overturn and break in half. The Accord then proceeded off the road, ending in a violent collision with a metal traffic signal pole, causing it to also split in two.
While the Dodge Truck’s driver was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) in Neptune for minor injuries, two individuals from the Accord, including the driver, were declared dead at the crash site. The other three passengers from the Accord were swiftly taken to JSUMC.
One of them passed away due to her injuries after arrival. The remaining two are currently in critical condition.
The circumstances surrounding this accident continue to be examined by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and the Lakewood Township Police Department.