LAKEWOOD, N.J. — A Toms River man has been charged with causing death while driving with a suspended license following a violent crash that killed a female passenger in Lakewood last Tuesday morning, authorities said.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Martine Taylor, Jr., 56, was behind the wheel of a 2015 Nissan Altima when the vehicle veered across the centerline on Cedar Bridge Avenue near the Garden State Parkway overpass around 1:35 a.m. on May 13. The car left the road, became airborne, and struck a utility pole before overturning and landing upside down in a drainage ditch.
Police did not say why Taylor’s license had been suspended. Taylor is an advocate for homeless in Ocean County and is affilaited with former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey’s New Jersey Reentry organization.
Emergency responders found Taylor trapped inside the heavily damaged vehicle. He was extricated and transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment.
A 52-year-old woman in the passenger seat was pronounced dead at the scene despite rescue efforts.
Investigators said the Altima traveled an estimated 189 feet through the air, colliding with a utility pole and tree before coming to rest on its roof. The crash caused significant damage to the vehicle’s undercarriage and left a trail of destruction across the eastbound lanes.
Blood test ordered as investigation continues
Authorities confirmed that Taylor’s driver’s license was suspended at the time of the crash. A blood sample was taken at the hospital under a court-authorized warrant as part of the ongoing investigation.
Taylor was charged with causing death while driving with a suspended license and served the warrant while hospitalized. after his release from the hospital, Taylor was transported to the Ocean County Jail to await a detention hearing.