RUTHERFORD — Five people inside an SUV died on Route 3 near MetLife Stadium when it hit the rear of a front-end loader being used for road work on Sunday night, according to police.

Rutherford Police in a message on their Twitter account said there were "multiple fatalities." They confirmed later to New Jersey 101.5 three females and two males had died, including a toddler.

Investigators from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and Rutherford police told ABC 7 Eyewitness News the crash happened around 11 p.m. in the work zone of an ongoing road project.

First-responders told the Rutherford/Carlstadt/East Rutherford Daily Voice four people were pronounced dead at the crash scene and a fifth person, a child, died at a hospital. Route 3 westbound was closed all night and reopened around 6:30 a.m.

A photo of the SUV posted by the Daily Voice showed the front part completely missing with debris scattered on the highway.

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

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