Trapped Driver Dies After Car Crashes Into Tree, Catches Fire In Somerset County

MONTGOMERY, NJ — One person is dead after a car they were driving crashed into a tree and caught fire trapping the driver inside on Sunday, Montgomery Police said.

On Sunday, March 13 at about 7:47 a.m., authorities went to County Route 605 near the intersection of Blue Spring Road for a report of a vehicle fire, said Montgomery Police Lt. Silvio Bet.

First responders found a 2015 Toyota Corolla that crashed into a tree and was actively on fire. The driver was trapped in the vehicle due to heavy damage as a result of the crash, said Bet.

The driver was the only person inside of the car and was pronounced dead at the scene, said Bet.

The name of the driver is being withheld pending notification to the family.

A preliminary investigation determined that the car was driving north on Route 605 coming from the direction of Princeton and crossed over the double center lines into the southbound lane and then ran off the left side of the roadway before hitting the tree head-on, said Bet.

The roadway was closed to traffic for about four hours during the scene investigation.

Montgomery Police, along with the Montgomery Township Fire Department Number 1 Belle Mead, Montgomery Township Fire Department Number 2 Blawenburg, Rocky Hill Fire, Montgomery Township EMS Squad 47, Robert Wood Johnson Paramedics, and Princeton Police, all responded.

The crash is being investigated by the Montgomery Township Police Traffic Safety Bureau with assistance from the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team.

Anyone with information related to this crash investigation can contact the Montgomery Township Police Department at 908-359-3222 or MTPD Sgt. Andrew Perry at 908-281-5869.

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