4 Dead After Car Slams Into Rear Of Oil Tanker On Garden State Parkway
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBSNewYork/CBS Philly) — Four men are dead, two of whom were members of the same family, after a violent crash early Wednesday on the Garden State Parkway.
Police say the men were in the same car when it crashed into the rear of an oil tanker just before 3 a.m. on the southbound lanes near Exit 81 in Berkeley Township.
The car was left with an obliterated front end and a roof torn off.
Police say 21-year-old Kevin Quispe-Prieto was driving the sedan. His brother, Jimmy Quispe-Prieto was a passenger along with 23-year-old Robert Ordenana and 24-year-old Victor Lugo. All four were killed in the collision, while the tanker driver emerged unscathed.
Witnesses tell CBS2 the section where the collision occurred can be deceivingly dangerous. The parkway rises uphill onto an overpass then drops without warning between Exits 80 and 81. Witnesses say drivers will take the incline onto the overpass too fast, running into people doing the speed limit and causing fender benders.
This time, drivers fear it may have lead to a fatality. State Police say they can't yet confirm if speed was a factor in the crash.
Kevin and Jimmy were the two middle brothers of four. A family spokesperson tells CBS2 they're "simply devastated."
Traffic in the southbound lanes was tied up during rush hour this morning while lanes were closed and the wreckage removed. All lanes were reopened at around 8:30 a.m.
The crash remains under investigation.
