Cops: Teen Not Wearing Seatbelt at Time of Fatal Crash

South Brunswick Police said that the victim in Thursday's fatal accident on Friendship Road was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Jeffrey Baggott, 18, of Florence, died after he was ejected from the vehicle he was traveling in. The driver of the vehicle, Christopher Brownback, 20, also of Florence, was distraught but didn't suffer any physical injuries in the crash, police said.

The accident occurred at 3:20 p.m. near the Friendship Road Bridge Thursday. After receiving a 911 call, officers found the car off the road in a corn field about one quarter mile east of Broadway Road.

Baggott was found dead in the field by officers who arrived at the scene. 

An investigation by the South Brunswick Police Traffic Safety Bureau determined Brownback was driving his 1993 Nissan Pathfinder west when he failed to handle a curve, according to police.

The vehicle then left the roadway and struck the guide wire of a utility pole. Baggott, who was unrestrained, was then thrown from the vehicle, according to police. The vehicle struck a fence before coming to rest in the field.

Baggott was killed instantly, according to police.

The investigation is continuing, but no summonses have been issued. Police said it appears that Brownback was speeding at the time of the accident. 

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office and South Brunswick EMS responded to the scene. The investigation closed Friendship Road from New Road to Broadway Road for about two hours.