2 Women Killed, Man, 4-Year-Old Boy Injured In Toms River Crash

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Two women were killed and two others, including a 4-year-old child, were injured in a two-vehicle crash on Hooper Avenue Thursday night, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.

The crash happened about 8:45 p.m. in the area of Hooper Avenue and Fischer Boulevard, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Authorities say a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox was headed south on Hooper Avenue when it crossed over the grass median and hit a 2025 Toyota Rav4. The impact caused the Toyota to roll over and it came to rest in the woods on the east side of Hooper Avenue, authorities said.

The driver of the Toyota, a 28-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

The driver of the Chevrolet, a 46-year-old man, and a 4-year-old boy in the back seat of the Chevrolet were injured, and the prosecutor's office said both were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where both were listed as stable.

An adult woman who was a passenger in the Chevrolet was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, but was pronounced dead at the hospital, the prosecutor's office said. Her age was not available.

No additional information was provided on the identities of the four people.

The crash forced the closure of the northbound lanes of Hooper Avenue for about four hours Thursday night, according to traffic alerts from the Ocean County Sheriff's Office. The road reopened about 1 a.m.

The crash remains under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and Toms River Police Department, the prosecutor's office said.

Note: This article has been updated with additional information on the age of the passenger in the Chevrolet. It also has been corrected to reflect the child was a passenger in the Chevrolet. Patch regrets the error.