Brick Township Student Critical, Hit by School Van

A Brick Township girl is in critical but stable condition after being hit by a township school van on Mantoloking Road this morning.

Police are issuing no details about the students age, identity or description, but they say she had just left a 7-11 convenience store and might have been crossing Mantoloking Road to meet her bus when she was hit by the eastbound van, about 150 feet beyond the London Road intersection, at about 7:15 AM.

Brick Township Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Uszenski says that she attended Lake Riviera Middle School on nearby Beaverson Boulevard.

Police are also withholding the driver's identity, but say that the van belonged to Brick Township Public Schools and was not involved in transporting children. They offered no information about the school to which the van was headed.

Police say that traffic volume was moderate at that hour, and that the speed limit there is 40 miles per hour with no traffic signal in the vicinity.

Dr. Uszenski rushed to the site in the aftermath and brought counselors to the middle school to intercede with friends of the youngster. He tells us that it was a maintenance van. The driver appeared unhurt but was taken for medical evaluations, he continued. Dr. Uszenski is visiting the victim's family this afternoon.

The girl was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune by Brick  Police Emergency Medical Service and MONOC paramedics while the stretch of road was barricaded for a two-hour investigation.

According to one source, several witnesses gave similar accounts of the student entering the roadway, apparently unaware of the oncoming van.

The driver faces no charges at this time but the probe continues under the direction of Brick Township Patrolman Jay Lampiasi as well as Detective Dave Margentino of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. They ask witnesses to contact them at 732-262-1141.