Tragedy on the Turnpike: Four Teens, Including Three From Lakewood, Killed by Wrong-Way Driver

The New Jersey Turnpike is a major toll highway that runs the length of New Jersey, connecting the north and south of the state. It’s one of the busiest roads in the country, used by commuters, travelers, and trucks moving between New York, Philadelphia, and beyond. It plays a key role in keeping traffic and commerce moving through the region.

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Tragedy On The New Jersey Turnpike Leaves Four Teens Dead

According to a Patch report, the New Jersey State Police responded early Sunday morning to the accident site on the southbound turnpike at milepost 1.3 in Carneys Point Township in Salem County.

The scene was that of a fatal crash that saw 4 teens killed in a "wrong-way" driving incident. According to the report details, A passenger car "was in a head-on collision with a Dodge pickup truck that was traveling north in the turnpike’s southbound lanes."

Following the crash between the pickup, traveling in the wrong direction, and the passenger car, the car was then struck by a Freightliner (semi truck) that had been behind the vehicles on the Turnpike.

The passenger car (SUV) had four passengers who were killed in the accident. "19-year-old Yaakov Kilberg of Lakewood, who was driving a Mazda SUV, Aharon Lebovits and Shlomo Cohen, both aged 18 and from Lakewood, and Chaim Grossman, an 18-year-old from Fallsburg, New York, according to police."

The driver of the vehicle that was going in the wrong direction was a "41-year-old man from Colorado, police said, adding that the driver of the Dodge suffered serious injuries."

The driver of the Freightliner, who was not injured, was from Nova Scotia, Canada.

Police said, "The crash remained under investigation Sunday."