UPDATE: Police say the rider was on a Honda Ruckus motorscooter, not a standard motorcycle as initially described. He has been identified.

An early morning fatal crash on Route 287 South closed down the highway at the start of the morning commute Monday.

As of 8:40 a.m., the southbound left lane remained closed between exit 12 for Weston Canal Road and Exit 10 for Easton Avenue for the crash. State Police confirmed a motorcyclist was killed in the crash, which involved multiple cars and a truck as well.

The state DOT was reporting a 3-mile backup, with at least an hour's delay on the southbound side. There was severe rubbernecking on Route 287 North as well.

Caller Mark from Piscataway told New Jersey 101.5's Bill Spadea early Monday morning that he'd seen a person in the road with a blanket over him.

Caller Kevin called it a "gruesome accident" involving several vehicles.

"I thought it was a deer in the road, and then there were scattered cars everywhere, debris all over the place," Kevin said.

"There's no real good way around this. You could get off 287 at Route 22, take that east to Washington Avenue. That turns into Stelton Road, which gets you back onto 287," New Jersey Fast Traffic's Bob Williams said.

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