Billhimer Says New Jersey 70 Pass Triggered 4-Hospital Crash
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said a wrong-way pass on new jersey 70 in Whiting caused a head-on crash on May 15 that sent four people to the hospital. The collision happened near mile marker 36 at approximately 7:52 p.m. and involved a 2025 Ford Ranger and a westbound 2022 Hyundai Elantra.
All four victims were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and were listed in stable condition. One victim needed extrication after the crash, and crews cleared the scene shortly after 11 p.m.
Billhimer on Route 70
Billhimer said the Ford Ranger was traveling eastbound when it attempted to pass another vehicle by entering the westbound lane "in an unsafe manner." The Ford Ranger then hit the Hyundai head-on after entering the lane where the Elantra was traveling with a driver and two passengers.
That sequence put the crash under review by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Manchester Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit. Their investigation will have to sort out the driving maneuver, the point of impact, and the condition of the Ford Ranger operator.
Bowker Field Response
New Jersey State Police and Hackensack Meridian Health medevac helicopters responded after the crash, and patients were transported from a landing zone established at Bowker Field. Billhheimer said responders detected an odor of alcohol from the Ford Ranger operator and saw an open container in the vehicle.
"Responding Officers at the scene detected an odor of alcohol from the operator of the Ford Ranger and observed an open container of alcohol in the vehicle," Billhheimer said. "As such, in furtherance of the investigation, a court-authorized draw of his blood was taken at the hospital."
Manchester Township Scene
The crash shut down a stretch of Route 70 in the Whiting section of Manchester Township for hours as rescue crews worked around the wreckage and helicopters moved patients to Neptune. For anyone traveling that corridor that evening, the practical result was a long closure and a crash scene handled by multiple agencies at once.
The question now for investigators is how the pass attempt was made and what the blood draw will add to the case file that already includes the vehicle positions, the open container finding, and the hospital transport of all four victims.
