BRIDGEWATER — One person was seriously injured in a crash involving five SUVs on Route 287 late Tuesday afternoon.

Just before 6 p.m., a Chrysler Pacifica minivan struck a Honda CRV's driver's side mirror as well as a Lincoln MKZ behind the Honda. The CRV and the MKZ were stopped in the right shoulder of the outer lanes waiting to exit for Route 202/206 in Bridgewater, according to State Police spokesman Laurence Peele.

The impact created a domino effect as the MKZ then backed into a Buick Rendezvous, which then backed into a Volkswagen Tiguan.

Peele did not know how fast the Pacifica was traveling and said the investigation is ongoing. No charges or violations have been filed.

The crash brought the interstate to a standstill as a medical helicopter landed on the inner lanes to transport a seriously injured female passenger in the Lincoln to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

An investigation closed the right lane of the outer lanes for four hours, creating a multi-mile delay into one of the busiest highway interchanges in the highway. Photos from the crash scene show people getting out of their cars to escape temperatures in the 80s with moderate humidity.

A late Tuesday afternoon car fire on the Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge also caused long delays during the afternoon commute.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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