EMERGENCIES

Jackson crash: 5 hurt, including 3 children, when vehicle strikes a tree

Asbury Park Press

JACKSON - Five people were injured when the vehicle they were traveling in careened off Route 571 and struck a tree, police said.

A 2019 blue Nissan Sentra, with five people inside, was traveling south on Route 571 about 5:30 p.m. Monday when it went off the road, Jackson police Sgt. George Vidalis wrote in a Facebook post.

All five people in the Nissan, including three children seated in the back of the car, were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune following the crash, police said.

EARLIER:Child seriously injured after collision on Toms River Road

Emergency personel load a child into the MONOC1 helicopter for a flight to Jersey Shore University Medical Center Monday afternoon after a car they were in was involved in a collision along Toms River Road in Jackson Township.

Police identified the driver as 22-year-old Roberto Bonilla of Toms River. The front seat passenger — Zamora Alvarez, 21, of the Bayville section of Berkeley — remains hospitalized in serious condition, Vidalis wrote.

Police, fire and emergency medical crews responded to the crash site near Regional Day School, Vidalis wrote.

Jackson police, Fire Station 56, Jackson First Aid Squad, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and paramedics from the Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corp. all responded to the scene. At least one of the children injured in the crash had to be airlifted to the hospital.

JACKSON:Shoplifters connected to vehicle break-ins, police say

Emergency personnel prepare a child for a medevac flight Monday afternoon after a car they were in was involved in a collision along Toms River Road in Jackson Township.

"While the circumstances surrounding the crash are still under investigation, it appears that only the driver and one rear seat passenger were wearing their seat belts," the department's post stated. "Please be reminded to be safe and Buckle Up."

Officers Jeffrey Henba and Edward Travisano of the department's traffic safety bureau are investigating the crash.

Police are searching for witnesses to the collision. Anyone with information is asked to call Jackson police at 732-928-1111.

Stay updated on breaking news in Monmouth and Ocean counties, and support local journalism, with a digital subscription to the Asbury Park Press.

Ed. Note: Police initially identified the passenger as Amora Alvares.

Andrew Goudsward covers crime and breaking news. A lifelong native of the Jersey Shore, he won a New Jersey Press Association award for best new journalist in 2018. Contact him at agoudsward@gannettnj.com, 732-897-4555 or @AGoudsward on Twitter.