3 Killed, 2 Critical In Early Morning Car-Truck Crash In Ocean County

LAKEWOOD, NJ — Three people were killed and two were critically injured in a two-vehicle crash early Saturday that caused both vehicles to break in half, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

The prosecutor's office did not identify any of the victims Saturday evening.

The crash happened about 2:20 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Cedar Bridge Avenue, the prosecutor's office said.

The initial investigation determined a 2009 Honda Accord was going east on Cedar Bridge Avenue when the driver did not stop for a red traffic signal and hit a 2008 Dodge truck in the intersection. Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

The force of the impact caused the Dodge to roll over and split in two, Billhimer said.

The Accord went off the road and hit a metal traffic signal pole and broke in two as a result of hitting the pole, he said.

The driver of the Honda and one passenger in the Honda died at the scene of the crash, Billhimer said. Three other passengers in the car were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where one succumbed to the injuries they suffered, he said.

The remaining two passengers in the Honda were listed in critical condition at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Billhimer said.

The driver of the Dodge truck was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and treated for minor injuries, Billhimer said.

The crash remains under investigation.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Lakewood Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit cooperated in the investigation.