Lakewood, NJ – Multiple people were injured, some seriously, in a wrong way crash on Route 70 in Lakewood on Friday.
At approximately 5:50 a.m., a multiple-vehicle crash occurred on Route 70 and Airport Road. Officers from the Lakewood Township Police Department responded to the scene and determined that eight vehicles were involved in the crash.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from other agencies, conducted a thorough investigation. It was revealed that a Cadillac CT5 Blackwing was traveling westbound in the eastbound lane at a high speed. The Cadillac collided head-on with a Mazda CX5, then struck additional vehicles before coming to rest, subsequently catching fire.
The driver of the Cadillac was extracted and airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, before being transported to Weill Cornell Medicine Burn Center in New York City, where he remains in critical condition. The driver of the Mazda was also airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and is in critical condition. The drivers of the remaining vehicles were not injured.
The crash is under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.