Driver killed in early morning North Jersey crash

MAHWAH — One person was killed when his Jeep rear ended a tractor trailer on Route 287 early Sunday morning.

The Jeep struck the tractor trailer in the northbound travel lanes north at milepost 63.5 in Mahwah around 2:30 a.m, according to State Police spokesman Alejandro Goez. The Jeep became fully engulfed in flames, fatally trapping the driver, Goez said.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Goez, who was not able to disclose his identity. He was was the only person in the Jeep.

Goez said both the Jeep and the tractor trailer were traveling at the time of the crash.

The driver of the tractor trailer, Elby Diaz Allentown, Pennsylvania, was not injured in the crash, according to Goez.

The road was closed northbound for about four hours for the cleanup and investigation which is ongoing.

Mahwah Fire Company on its Facebook page said the township's fire companies 1,2 and 4 responded to the fire along with a tanker from Franklin Lakes.

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