Pedalcyclist dies in 3-vehicle crash on Route 78

🚨 An E-Bike overturned after colliding with a pickup truck on Route 78 westbound

🚨 E-bikes are not permitted on New Jersey interstate highways

UNION TOWNSHIP — The driver of an E-bike died in a three-vehicle on Route 78 during the Monday morning commute.

New Jersey State Police Detective Jeffrey Lebron said a Ford pickup and a Zugo E-bike collided in the westbound lanes on the on-ramp for Exit 50 (Vaux Hall Road) in Union Township.

The E-bike overturned and was run over by a Mazda passenger vehicle around 6:10 a.m.

The driver of the E-bike, Irving Batista, 34, of Jersey City, died in the crash.

E-bikes are not permitted on New Jersey interstates, four-lane highways divided by a grass or concrete median and highways with a speed limit over 50 mph, according to New Jersey law.

Delays in both directions

The westbound local lanes on Route 78 westbound were closed for several hours causing a delay that started at Newark Liberty International Airport.  A rubbernecking delay developed eastbound past the crash scene.

It was the sixth fatal crash on Route 78 in 2023, according to State Police records.

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