Man killed, car torn apart in Route 70 head-on crash

MANCHESTER — A car was torn in half Sunday evening in a Route 70 head-on collision that killed the vehicle's driver.

A Honda Accord traveling west on Route 70 in Manchester between Whitesville Road in Toms River and Route 571 crossed the line into the eastbound lanes and was hit by a Subaru Forester heading east around 6 p.m., splitting the Honda in two, according to Manchester police.

The driver of the Honda, Louis Zuffanti, 59, of Manchester, suffered significant injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The driver of the Subaru, Joaquim Deoliveira, 51, of Toms River, was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Police said that rainy weather played a role in the crash, which remains under investigation. Airbags went off in both vehicles and both drivers were wearing seat belts, according to police.

Route 70 was closed in both directions for several hours.

It was the sixth fatal crash on Route 70 this year and the second in Ocean County, according to State Police records.

A woman trying to cross Route 70 in Lakewood was seriously injured on Saturday night when she was hit by a vehicle.

The crash was the the second reported fatality on New Jersey roads during the Thanksgiving holiday period. One person died in a charter bus crash on the New Jersey Turnpike south of Route 195 on Friday night.

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

More from New Jersey 101.5