Serious crashes close several NJ highways early Saturday

TRENTON — It was a busy night on New Jersey highways with a number of crashes and overturns reported early Saturday.

Route 18 was closed in two spots early Saturday morning. East Brunswick police said a crash closed the road on the southbound side just over the border in Old Bridge at Route 527.  The road was reopened after 7 a.m.

A second crash closed Route 18 southbound between Route 34 and Wayside Road in Colts Neck just before 5 a.m. killing passenger Mina Salib, 46, of East Brunswick, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. Samy Yani, 46, also of East Brunswick, was driving a 2006 BMW X5 that veered off the road at the Normandy Road bridge and struck a tree on the passenger side.

Salib was pronounced dead at the scene while Yani was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune Township where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Gramiccioni asked any witnesses to the crash to call Colts Neck Police at 732-780-7323.

Sayreville police reported three overturns, including one on Route 35 that closed the road in both directions at Old Spye Road. Minor injuries were involved in all of them, police said.

A 31-year-old man from South Brunswick was struck by a car on Route 130 in South Brunswick at Stults Road around 2 a.m, according to South Brunswick Police. The driver of the car stayed on the scene.

Route 20 was also closed between Broadway and 18th Avenue in Paterson because of a fatal crash. No details were disclosed as police continued investigating.

"These next seven days are some of the busiest of the year for us," Sayreville police said on their Facebook page. "Unfortunately, we started today off with several serious accidents. Please, please, please slow down, be aware, be awake and of course don't drink and drive."

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

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