Route 70 Head-On Crash Kills Toms River Woman: Police

MANCHESTER, NJ ? A Toms River woman was killed early Thursday morning in a head-on crash on Route 70, Manchester police said.

Sandra Wade, 61, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Route 70 near mile marker 34, Manchester Capt. Vincent Manco said.

Wade was driving a Nissan Frontier west on Route 70 about 6:45 a.m. Thursday when her pickup truck crossed the center line into oncoming traffic and hit a Freightliner medium-duty refrigerated box truck, Manco said.

The driver of the box truck, Joseph Ballard, 35, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, saw the Nissan and tried to swerve to avoid the crash, Manco said. The pickup truck ended up hitting the box truck on the front driver's side, he said.

Ballard suffered minor injuries but declined further treatment, Manco said.

The force of the crash left the pickup with extensive damage on the front end and tore its roof off, he said.

Assisting at the scene were EMTs and firefighters from the Manchester Township Division of Emergency Services, Robert Wood Johnson paramedics, firefighters from the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department, the New Jersey Department of Transportation Diversion Team, as well as, the Berkeley Emergency Hazmat Response Team, Pemberton Township police officers and New Jersey State Troopers.

Route 70 was closed for more than five hours on Thursday morning while authorities investigated the crash and cleaned up.

Manchester Patrolman Michael O'Hara is still investigating but failure to maintain lane appears to be the primary contributing factor, Manco said.