2 ID'd In Wrong-Way Fatal Garden State Parkway Crash In Barnegat

BARNEGAT – State Police have identified the two women who died in a wrong-way fatal crash on the Garden State Parkway in Ocean County on New Year's Day, officials said.

State Police reported on Saturday that the two people who died were Emily Soc, 25, of Ewing Township and Colleen Roche, 61, of Barnegat.

Soc was driving a Toyota south in the northbound lanes and struck the front of a Honda CRV driven by Roche, who was traveling northbound, police said.

Those who knew Roche spoke about their loss on Facebook.

The northbound side of the highway was closed for several hours at mile marker 68.1, which the crash site.

Authorities told the public to avoid the area of mile marker 69 on the northbound side for most of New Year's Day.

This is a developing news story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.