A juvenile riding a dirt bike was critically injured Thursday night in a three-vehicle crash at the intersection of Route 9 and Serpentine Drive in Berkeley Township, police said.
Officers arrived to find two damaged cars and the juvenile suffering from life-threatening injuries. According to the investigation, the teen was operating a Kawasaki dirt bike at high speed, illegally riding on the shoulder of southbound Route 9 without a headlight.
As the dirt bike entered the intersection, a 2016 Kia Rio turning left onto Serpentine Drive struck it, causing it to crash into a 2021 Jeep Compass that was stopped at a stop sign.
“This dirt bike was not street legal and was being operated during night time hours without a headlight,” police stated.
The teen was airlifted from the Shoprite Plaza on Route 9 to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in critical condition. No injuries were reported by the occupants of the cars.
Route 9 southbound was closed for about two and a half hours for the investigation.
