Police say vehicle became airborne over roadway before slamming into bridge and erupting in flames
JAMESBURG, N.J. — A New Jersey driver was killed after a speeding vehicle launched an estimated 250 feet through the air, slammed into a bridge and burst into flames during a violent overnight crash, according to police.
The single-vehicle crash happened around 1:16 a.m. Monday on Forsgate Drive at the intersection of Buckelew Avenue in Jamesburg, according to the Jamesburg Police Department.
Responding officers arrived to find the vehicle fully engulfed in flames with the driver trapped inside.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Authorities identified the victim as 28-year-old Juan Camilo Chara Lucumi of Union County, New Jersey.
Preliminary investigators determined the vehicle had been traveling eastbound on Forsgate Drive at an “extremely high rate of speed” before the driver lost control.
Police said the vehicle struck a dam wall at the entrance to Thompson Park, became airborne and traveled over Buckelew Avenue before crashing into the bridge over Manalapan Creek.
The vehicle ultimately landed on the embankment of the creek north of 300 Buckelew Avenue.
Investigators estimate the vehicle traveled approximately 250 feet in the air before landing.
The crash remains under investigation by the Jamesburg Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Crash Unit.
Several emergency agencies assisted at the scene, including Monroe Township police, multiple fire departments, EMS crews and Middlesex County Hazmat teams.
Key Points
- A New Jersey driver died after a vehicle became airborne and burst into flames in Jamesburg
- Police estimate the vehicle traveled approximately 250 feet through the air before crashing
- Investigators said the vehicle was traveling at an extremely high rate of speed before the crash
