MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Two people were airlifted to the hospital with severe injuries following a head-on collision Wednesday evening on County Route 539, according to the Manchester Township Police Department.
Officers responded around 5:24 p.m. near mile marker 26.0, where they found a grey 2014 Chrysler 200 and a blue 2021 Chevrolet Spark with extensive front-end damage on the northbound grass shoulder of the roadway.
The driver of the Chrysler, identified as 62-year-old Troy Sullivan of Absecon, was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center with serious injuries and is listed in stable condition. The driver of the Chevrolet, 54-year-old Wendy O’Neal of Hamilton, also sustained severe injuries to her legs and upper body and remains in stable condition.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Sullivan’s Chrysler was traveling southbound when it crossed the centerline and struck O’Neal’s northbound Chevrolet head-on. After the crash, the Chrysler continued approximately 150 feet before stopping in the northbound lane, while the Chevrolet rotated 270 degrees and came to rest on the shoulder.
Emergency responders from multiple agencies, including the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, assisted at the scene.
Police have identified failure to maintain lane as the primary factor in the crash, though the investigation remains ongoing.