Woman dies after car goes airborne for 189 feet into power lines; Toms River driver charged

🚨A car crossed over the yellow line and went airborne

🚨52-year-old passenger was pronounced dead at the scene

LAKEWOOD — A driver is facing charges in a deadly crash overnight Tuesday when his car flew nearly 200 feet in the air before crashing into a utility pole and landing upside down in a ditch.

Lakewood police received a call around 1:30 a.m. from a truck driver who reported wires down on Cedarbridge Road near the Garden State Parkway overpass.

It was only after a JCP&L crew arrived to make repairs that officers found a heavily damaged 2015 Nissan Altima in a heavily wooded area.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said investigators determined the Altima was headed west and crossed the double yellow line. It went off the roadway and cleared the guardrail as it flew 189 feet through the air.

Its flight was abruptly stopped by a utility pole, causing severe damage to the car's undercarriage. The Altima bounced off the ground and came to rest on its roof in the ditch, according to Billhimer.

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Additional charges possible

First responders got the driver, Martine Taylor, Jr., 56, of Toms River, out of the car and took him to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. The passenger, a 52-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene. Billhimer did not disclose her identity.

Taylor was charged with causing death while driving with a suspended driver’s license. He was also issued multiple motor vehicle summonses. A warrant was obtained to take a sample of his blood.

After his hospital treatment is completed, he will be held at the Ocean County Jail awaiting a detention hearing.

It was the 20th fatal crash in Ocean County this year and the third in Lakewood, according to State Police records.

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