Updated: Car Driven By Edison Cop Crashes On Route 27; Two Killed, Including Somerset Man

Two people were killed when a car driven by an off-duty Edison police officer crashed into a utility pole on Route 27 early in the morning of August 27, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.

The officer, who has not yet been identified, was hospitalized, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Authorities believe alcohol and excessive speed played roles in the accident, according to the source.

The identities of the those killed in the accident were not released as of the afternoon of August 28.

The accident occurred sometime after 6 a.m. when the car, a 2007 Audi Q7, veered off the road between Voorhees and Springfield avenues, crashed into and cracked the utility pole, and then knocked over an ornamental street light and destroyed several bushes.

Investigators and cleanup crews were still at the site Sunday afternoon.

Franklin Township Patrol Officers, Traffic Safety Officers, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team (CART), and the Major Crimes Unit responded to conduct the investigation, according to the release. The circumstances and events leading to the fatal motor vehicle crash remain under investigation by authorities and the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office. 

Update 1: The driver of the car was a 29-year-old Somerset man who was transported to an area trauma center for treatment, according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. His injuries were undisclosed but he was expected to recover, according to the release.

One of those killed was a 24-year-old Somerset man who was ejected from the car and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.

A second passenger, a 20-year-old North Brunswick resident, needed to be extricated from the car and was also pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.

A third passenger, a 29-year-old Highland Park man, sustained minor injuries and refused medical attention at the scene, according to the release.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office at (908) 231-7100, the Manville Borough Police Department at (908) 722-0089, or the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports, and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

This is an evolving story. More information will be added.

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