Driver Had Open Alcohol In Pickup, Hit Car Head-On On Route 70, Authorities Say

MANCHESTER, NJ -- Four people were injured in a head-on crash on Route 70 in Manchester Friday night, and authorities say the driver who caused the crash had an open container of alcohol in his pickup truck.

All four people were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and were listed as stable on Saturday, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said. They did not release their identities.

The crash happened about 7:50 p.m. near milemarker 34 when the driver of a 2025 Ford Ranger, who was headed east on Route 70, crossed into the westbound lane trying to pass another vehicle, the prosecutor’s office said.

The pickup hit a 2022 Hyundai Elantra head-on, injuring its driver and two passengers in the car, the prosecutor's office said.

Manchester polic at the scene smelled an odor of alcohol from the Ford Ranger's driver and saw an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, authorities said, and a court-authorized draw of his blood was taken at the hospital, the prosecutor's office said.

Route 70 was closed in both directions for a few hours after the crash.

The prosecutor’s office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Manchester Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit are investigating.