TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A 56-year-old Island Heights man was fatally struck while crossing Route 37 on Tuesday night, Toms River police said.
Jason Matthews was hit around 9 p.m. west of River Drive by a 2021 Honda Civic driven by Frankione Rivera-Rivera of Barnegat, according to Lt. Ron Sermarini. Matthews was in the right lane when the westbound vehicle struck him.
Emergency responders transported Matthews to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries. There is no crosswalk at the location where the crash occurred.
Authorities closed multiple lanes of Route 37 for several hours during the investigation. No citations have been issued, Sermarini said.
The crash remains under investigation by Officer Eric Nelson of the Toms River Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit, with assistance from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI Unit and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.