Truck crash kills 2, dumps watermelons onto New Jersey Turnpike

Two people were killed Thursday night after a tractor trailer carrying a load of watermelons struck an overpass over the northbound inner lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike near Exit 7A.

State Police spokesman Philip Curry told New Jersey 101.5 the driver was ejected after the truck hauling a semi-trailer ran off the inner lanes to the right, went through a guardrail and hit the support for Edgewater Road.

The cause of the crash, which happened about 9:20 p.m., remains under investigation.

The driver and a passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The names of the victims were not released.

The watermelons spilled onto the southbound inner roadway and the northbound lanes, which were already closed for roadwork.

A picture posted by MidJersey.news shows that the crash propelled watermelons onto the overpass.

The right lane was closed for nearly six hours.

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