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Driver was going over 100 mph before fatal crash in Toms River, New Jersey, prosecutors say

Families ask questions after 2 dead, 2 injured in fatal car crash in Toms River, New Jersey
Families ask questions after 2 dead, 2 injured in fatal car crash in Toms River, New Jersey 03:10

An unlicensed juvenile was allegedly driving over 100 mph before causing a fatal crash in Toms River, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office said.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said the young male driver was arrested shortly after the crash on Friday, March 7, and charged with manslaughter, assault and numerous other counts related to the collision at the intersection of Route 37 and Route 166.

Officials said the driver was first seen speeding in a white BMW over the Thomas A. Mathis Bridge around 10:45 p.m. Toms River Township Police officers initially tried to pull over the car, but stopped their pursuit for safety reasons, the OCPO said.

The same car was seen a short time later traveling 118 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone along Route 35 by Seaside Heights Police, prosecutors said. Toms River police caught up with the car again on Route 37, where officials said officers "followed the vehicle from a distance, but did not pursue for safety reasons."

Just before 11 p.m., the BMW crashed into a Toyota Camry, killing the Camry driver and a passenger inside the car.

Two people riding in the back of the Camry were "severely injured," the prosecutors office said, and taken to nearby hospitals where they were placed in critical condition.

The BMW driver, identified as a juvenile who didn't have a valid New Jersey driver's license, wasn't hurt in the crash and arrested at the scene. The prosecutor's office said investigators got a warrant for a blood draw on the driver, the results of which are still pending.

A passenger in the front of the BMW was treated for his injuries at the hospital and eventually released; a backseat passenger was also taken to Community Medical Center where he was treated and sent home.

The BMW driver is currently being held at the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center.

CBS News Philadelphia has reached out to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office for more information on the driver and victims in the crash.

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