Perth Amboy mom of newborn dies after crashed vehicles burst into flames

🚨 A Perth Amboy mother of a newborn was killed in a fiery crash

🚨 Van struck a dump truck head on in Ocean County

🚨 GoFundMe launched to return mother and child to the Dominican Republic

JACKSON — The mother of a newborn was killed in a head-on crash with a dump truck on Friday afternoon.

Jackson police said a small van driven by Evelin Villanueva-Detejeda, 43, of Perth Amboy, was headed south on Toms River Road (Route 571) when it tried to pass in a no-passing zone near Ospery Place around 2 p.m. She was hit by the dump truck headed north, causing both vehicles to burst into flames, according to police.

The driver of the truck tried to brake but could not avoid hitting the van, witnesses told investigators.

Villanueva-Detejeda was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the dump truck was not injured.

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GoFundMe launched to help family

Route 571 is a two-lane road that carries a high volume of car and truck traffic between Toms River and Route 195. The posted speed limit is 45 mph with only a few passing zones.

It was the fifth fatal crash on Route 571 in Ocean County in 2025, according to State Police statistics.

A GoFundMe campaign said Villanueva-Detejeda is the mother of a three-month-old who had no immediate family in the United States. Funds from the campaign will help return her body and the child to her native Dominican Republic.

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