BARNEGAT — Two people died in a crash with a flatbed tow truck that was transporting two vehicles on Route 72 Thursday night.

Police Chief Keith Germain told New Jersey 101.5 that a Kia traveling east near Route 532 drifted off the right side of the road around 10 p.m. The driver got the car back onto the roadway but crossed the center line and went into the westbound lane where it collided with the westbound tow truck.

The driver and passenger of the Kia were pronounced dead at the scene. Germain did not disclose their identities pending notification of family. The tow truck driver was not hurt.

The tow truck was carrying a vehicle on its flatbed and was also towing a vehicle, according to Germain.

The crash closed Route 72 between Routes 532 and 539 for clean up and investigation until around 6 a.m. Friday morning.

The fatalities were the second and third of the year on Route 72, a two-lane road with a 55 mph speed limit that runs from Long Beach Island to Route 70 at the Four Mile Circle. One person was killed in a crash in May in neighboring Woodland.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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