Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on October 7, 2023, at approximately 2:20 a.m., Officers from the Lakewood Township Police Department were summoned to the area of New Hampshire Avenue and Cedar Bridge Avenue for a report of a serious motor vehicle crash.
An investigation by and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and Lakewood Township Police Department determined that a 2009 Honda Accord containing four passengers was traveling eastbound on Cedar Bridge Avenue; the driver of the Accord failed to stop at a red traffic signal and entered the intersection – striking a 2008 Dodge Truck. The impact caused the Dodge Truck to roll over and split in two. The Honda Accord continued off the roadway and struck a metal traffic signal pole; upon contact with the pole, the Accord likewise broke into two parts.
As a result of the crash, the driver of the Dodge Truck was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) in Neptune to be treated for minor injuries. The driver of the Honda Accord and one of the passengers were pronounced deceased at the scene. The three remaining passengers in the Accord were transported to JSUMC for treatment. At the hospital, one of the passengers succumbed to her injuries. The other two passengers of the Accord remain hospitalized and are presently listed in critical condition.
The crash remains under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and Lakewood Township Police Department.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit- Vehicular Homicide Squad, Lakewood Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their cooperative assistance in connection with this investigation.