JACKSON, N.J. — A third person has died following a fiery crash early Friday on North Hope Chapel Road after a vehicle struck a deer and slammed into a tree, Jackson Township police confirmed.
The crash occurred around 4:39 a.m. Friday, May 23, when a vehicle heading northbound hit a deer and veered off the road near New Central Avenue, Police Chief Matthew Kunz said. The impact caused a fire to break out in the engine compartment, which quickly engulfed the entire vehicle.
Police responded to a 911 call and arrived to find the vehicle fully engulfed with four occupants trapped inside and a fifth lying nearby. Officers forced entry into the burning vehicle and rescued two people, though one occupant died at the scene from the initial impact and another in the ensuing fire.
Authorities confirmed that a third occupant, identified by Yeshiva World News as Rafael Faham, died later Friday from injuries sustained in the crash. Faham was among those initially pulled from the wreck by first responders.
Investigation ongoing
Two individuals remain hospitalized in critical condition, police said. The other two deceased teens were Dovid Yitzchok Handler and Chaim Zelig Beril.
“The vehicle veered off the road and struck a large tree near New Central Avenue,” according to a police report.
The incident remains under investigation. Witnesses or anyone with relevant information is asked to contact Traffic Safety Officer David Dejesus at (732) 928-1111.
