2 women die in separate Garden State Parkway crashes Saturday

Two women from New Jersey died after being ejected from their vehicles in two separate crashes Saturday on the Garden State Parkway. Neither were wearing seatbelts, officials said.

A Jeep driven by Melissa M. Craden, 51, of Scotch Plains, overturned when it was sideswiped on the northbound Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge by a Chevrolet Impala around 3:15 p.m., according to State Police spokeswoman Brandi Slota.

Craden lost control and was ejected onto the roadway. She was flown via medical helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital where she died, according to Slota. The driver of the Impala was treated for minor injuries.

Craden ran a business called Grooming by Melissa, according to a friend.

Carrieann Orlando, 53, of Seaside Park, was thrown from her vehicle around 12:40 a.m. after hitting a metal guard rail along the northbound Garden State Parkway in Port Republic near Exit 48, according to Slota.

Slota said the investigation is ongoing into what caused Orlando's car to leave the road.

The crashes were the second fatal crash on the Parkway in Atlantic County, the second fatal in Middlesex County and bring the total of fatal crashes on the Parkway to 19 this year, according to State Police statistics.