Driver Drops Cigarette, Hits 2 Toms River Pedestrians: Police

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Two people were injured Sunday when a driver who told police she dropped her cigarette hit them as they walked their dog along Morris Boulevard, Toms River police said Monday.

One of the pedestrians was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, and the other was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department. Both people were alert and conscious, she said.

The dog, a German shepherd, was not injured, Messina said.

The crash happened about 3:45 p.m. Sunday, she said. Michele Ventriglia of Beachwood told police she was driving on Morris Boulevard when she dropped her cigarette in her lap and looked down to retrieve it, Messina said.

As Ventriglia looked down, she drifted to the left and hit the two people, then hit a mailbox and two parked vehicles on Morris Boulevard before coming to a stop, Messina said.

Police said Ventriglia did not show any signs of impairment. The crash remains under investigation by Toms River Traffic Safety Officer Mark Nater and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Messina said Detective Anthony Carrington of the prosecutor's office responded to assist in the investigation.

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