Driver Charged With DUI After Crash Closes Route 37, Parkway Ramp

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A New Hampshire man has been charged with driving under the influence after a crash Tuesday that took out a utility pole and caused road closures on Route 37 near the southbound Garden State Parkway ramp, Toms River police said Wednesday.

Avery Murch, 25 of Weare, New Hampshire, was driving south in the left lane on the Parkway about 4 p.m. Tuesday when he pulled into the right exit lane and sideswiped a vehicle driven by Thomas Holl, 32, of Toms River, who also was southbound and in the exit lane, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department.

Murch kept going and as he reached Route 37 eastbound, he ran off the road and hit a curb, then hit a street sign and a utility pole, Messina said. Murch tried to take off but hit the cement wall under the overpass, causing his vehicle to become totally disabled, she said.

Murch was exhibiting signs of impairment and was arrested and charged with DWI, and his vehicle was impounded, she said. He was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, driving on a revoked driver’s license, failure to report an accident, leaving the scene of property damage, and operating with drugs in the vehicle, Messina said.

Toms River Traffic Safety Officer Robert Westfall is investigating.

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