Lakewood Girl Dies After Vehicle Hits Tree In Toms River: Police

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A child died Tuesday morning as a result of injuries she suffered when a vehicle hit a tree at North Bay Avenue and Whitty Road in Toms River, police said.

Baila Gross, 38, of Lakewood, was driving east on Whitty Road about 9:15 a.m. when she failed to stop at the stop sign at North Bay Avenue, Toms River police said. Gross continued through the intersection and hit a tree head-on, police said.

Toms River Community Service Officers and Silverton EMS responded and performed CPR on the child at the scene and during transport to Community Medical Center, where the girl was subsequently pronounced dead, police said.

The Lakewood Scoop identified the child as the 9-year-old daughter of Gross.

Police said there was no indication of driver impairment, and all four people in the vehicle were restrained at the time of the crash.

Summonses are pending, and the crash remains under investigation by Toms River Traffic Safety Officer Ryan Fitzgerald and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters here, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Lakewood Patch on Facebook.