Man killed in head-on crash on Ocean County’s deadly Route 539
A man was killed in a head-on crash on Route 539 Wednesday night.
Plumsted police said a 37-year-old man trying to pass a pick-up truck on northbound Route 539 hit an oncoming pickup in the southbound lanes around 7:50 p.m.
The impact turned the 37-ear-old's car around, causing it to strike the pick-up he was trying to pass, according to police.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The pick-up he collided with had two 77-year-olds from the Whiting section of Manchester, who were hospitalized.
The 21-year-old woman driving the northbound pick-up was not injured
Police did not disclose the identities of anyone involved in the crash.
The road, which borders the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a popular shortcut between the Garden State Parkway in southern Ocean County and Route 195. Truckers and cars routinely exceed the posted 50 mph speed limit.
According to State Police, this is the first fatal accident on this road this year. In 2020 there was one death but there were five in 2019 and two in 2018.
A traffic enforcement program between May and September 2019 by the Ocean County Sheriff's Office resulted in 674 stops, 287 summonses and 22 criminal charges.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ