One dead, one critically injured in wrong-way crash on route 70 in brick township

BRICK TOWNSHIP, NJ — A head-on collision involving a wrong-way driver on Route 70 early Friday morning left a woman dead and a man in critical condition, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.

The crash occurred around 5:00 a.m. near the Lowe’s home improvement store. Police said a Toyota Rav 4, traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Route 70, collided head-on with a Volkswagen Beetle.

The female driver of the Volkswagen was partially ejected from her vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released her identity pending notification of her family.

The male driver of the Toyota Rav 4 was extricated from his vehicle and transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he remains in critical but stable condition, officials said.

An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Brick Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the Toyota Rav 4 was driving on the wrong side of the concrete barrier separating the eastbound and westbound lanes.

The driver of the Toyota has been issued summonses for Driving While Intoxicated and Reckless Driving by the Brick Township Police Department.

“This is an active and ongoing investigation, more information will be released when it becomes available,” Prosecutor Billhimer said in a statement.

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