2 Hurt In Head-On Crash On Route 70: Manchester Police

MANCHESTER, NJ — Two people were injured in a head-on crash on Route 70 in the rain on Thursday afternoon, Manchester police said Friday.

Diane Sottilaro, 64, of Whiting, suffered multiple injuries in the crash that happened shortly before 3 p.m. at the intersection with Manchester Boulevard, Capt. Todd Malland said. Her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening and she was taken to Community Medical Center.

Joseph Henderson, 47, of Manchester, suffered a small cut to his left arm in the crash and he was taken to Community Medical Center for treatment, Malland said.

Malland said the crash investigation found Sottilaro, who was driving a white Mazda 6 west on Route 70, tried to turn left onto Manchester Boulevard and failed to yield to the oncoming blue Subaru Forester driven by Henderson. The Mazda and the Subaru, which was headed east on Route 70, hit head-on, he said.

Rainy weather appears to have been a factor along with driver error, Malland said, and neither car had its headlights on.

"Under New Jersey Motor Vehicle law, it is mandatory that headlights be activated anytime windshield wipers are in use," he said.

Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts, Malland said. Assisting at the scene were EMTs from the Manchester Township Division of Emergency Service and paramedics from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Patrolman Michael Anderson is investigating.

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