Route 72 reopened in Barnegat

A head-on crash on Route 72 in Barnegat early Friday that sent two drivers to hospitalization remains under police investigaiton.

The collision near Howardsville Road, reported at 5:38 AM, resulted in a closure of the highway between Route 539 and West Bay Avenue for nearly two hours.

According to police, a 1996 Toyota Tercel driven by Wilfredo Aviles, 36, of Barnegat, veered from the eastbound side of Route 72, into the path of a 1997 GMC Step Van driven by Thomas Bernokeits, 58, of West Creek.

Aviles was flown to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City in a helicopter supplied by MONOC. He was ticketed for failing to maintain his lane of travel and for driving with a suspended license.

Bernokeits was rushed to Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin by Barnegat volunteer first-aiders.

Also assisting were Barnegat and Stafford Township volunteer firefighters and staffers of the New Jersey Department of Transportation.