Several Injured In Manchester Chain Collision

Several drivers and riders are recovering from injuries after a four-car chain collision just after midnight Sunday on Route 70 in Manchester.

Police say Paul L. Stevens, 21, of Forked River, was eastbound on the highway in a 2012 Jeep Cherokee, approaching Route 539, and failed to stop.

According to police, the Jeep plowed into a 2005 Toyota RAV driven by Stacy R. Israel, 30, of Newtown, Pennsylvania. The impact propelled Israel's SUV into a 2013 Chevrolet Sonoma operated by Daniel J. Galvin, 33, of Point Pleasant. Galvin's truck lurched into a 1999 Ford F150 driven by Jody M. Bailey, 55, of Pine Beach.

Two passengers in the RAV - a 22-year-old woman with neck pain and a 33-year-old woman with a lacerated scalp - were taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River. Galvin was also taken to Community for treatment of a face laceration.

Police say that a few other riders were treated for minor injuries on site. Authorities have given no indication of any pending charges but say that patrol officers from Manchester and Toms River are looking into the incident.