Island Heights Man Killed Crossing Route 37 In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — An Island Heights man was killed Tuesday night when he was hit as he crossed Route 37, Toms River police said.

Jason Matthews, 56, was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River where he died of his injuries, Lt. Ron Sermarini said.

Matthews was crossing Route 37 west of River Drive about 9 p.m. when he was hit by a 2021 Honda Civic driven by Frankione Rivera-Rivera of Barnegat, Sermarini said. Matthews was in the right lane when he was hit, and the Honda was headed west on Route 37 at the time, he said.

There is no crosswalk at River Drive.

Multiple lanes of Route 37 were shut down for several hours for the crash investigation, Sermarini said. No citations have been issued as a result of the crash investigation, he said.

Officer Eric Nelson of the Toms River Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit is investigating the crash, assisted by the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI Unit and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.