Fatal crashes on July 4 in Jackson, Toms River

Three people died in crashes in Jackson and Toms River on Thursday afternoon.

In Jackson, the driver of a 1999 Nissan Pathfinder lost control about 3:30 p.m. on Faraday Avenue, crossed Houston Avenue and hit a utility pole, according to Jackson police Sgt. George Vidalis.

Both the passenger and driver, the only occupants in the car, were pronounced dead at the scene. The identities of the victims were not released pending notification of family.

At about 5:10 p.m. in Toms River, Shawn Mathewson, 34, of Kearny, rear-ended a 2016 Chrysler while driving his 2004 Yamaha motorcycle east on Route 37 near Vaughn Avenue, according to Toms River police spokeswoman Jilliam Messina. Mathewson was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead.

The Chrysler, driven by Ayesha Mirandaalves, 18, of Newark, had been stopped in traffic.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ