On Sunday February 11, 2024 at 10:48pm, Hopewell Township Police officers were dispatched to a motor vehicle crash on State Highway 31. Officers arrived on scene and found that a blue Jeep Grand Cherokee had struck a gray Nissan Maxima. The initial investigation shows that the driver of the Jeep was traveling south on State Highway 31 when he attempted to pass two vehicles in a no-passing zone. As he began the pass, the Jeep struck the Nissan, which was traveling north.
The driver of the Nissan, a 59-year-old male, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Nissan’s Jeep’s* front seat passenger, a 13-year-old male, was transported to the Capital Health Regional Medical Center by ambulance and then flown to Cooper University Medical Center where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. The two rear seat passengers (a 32-year-old female and a 35-year-old female) were transported by ambulance to St. Mary’s Hospital where they remain in serious but stable condition.
The driver of the Jeep, who is a Brooklyn, NY resident, was transported by ambulance from the scene and was later released after being treated for minor injuries at Capital Health Regional Medical Center. He remains in custody and will be charged with two counts of Vehicular Manslaughter and additional charges. The investigation is ongoing at this time.
The crash is being investigated by Officer Robert Voorhees and Detective Christopher Collins of the Hopewell Township Police Department, as well as detectives from the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
Anyone who may have witnessed this crash is asked to contact Detective Christopher Collins at 609-737-3100 ext. 5790.
*Edited on February 15 at 8:24pm. Please note, the passengers were all in the jeep, not in the Nissan. Thank you to Mike Sullivan for pointing this out.
