2 Listed In Critical Condition After Rt. 70 Crash In Lakewood: Prosecutors

UPDATE: Rt. 70 eastbound is open to vehicle traffic, according to alert from Lakewood Police.

LAKEWOOD, NJ — Local authorities are investigating the circumstances of a multi-vehicle crash that shut down part of Route 70 in Lakewood Friday morning, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.

At 5:50 a.m. on Friday, authorities said Lakewood police officers responded to the area of Route 70 and Airport Road for a report of a motor vehicle crash involving multiple vehicles.

Once police arrived, Billhimer said the officers determined that the crash involved a total of eight vehicles.

A subsequent investigation found that a Cadillac CT5 Blackwing was traveling west in the east lane of Route 70 at high speed when it collided head-on with a Mazda CX5 and then struck additional vehicles, prosecutors said.

Once the Cadillac came to a rest, Billhimer said it caught fire with the driver trapped inside.

The driver was ultimately extracted from the vehicle and airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune before being transported to Weill Cornell Medicine Burn Center in New York City, where he is listed in critical condition, prosecutors said.

The driver of the Mazda was also airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and is listed in critical condition, authorities said.

The drivers of the remaining vehicles involved in the crash were uninjured, according to Billhimer.

The incident remains under investigation by the Major Crime Unit of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, the Lakewood Township Police Department and the Crime Scene Investigation Unit of the Ocean County Sheriff's Office.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional information from the Lakewood Police Department and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.