Driver Crashed Car Into Ocean Acres House, Fled Scene: Police

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — A driver crashed a vehicle into an Ocean Acres residence and then fled the scene on foot, Stafford police said.

The incident happened on April 23 around 11:40 p.m., police said. Officer Tyler Szwed was patrolling Ocean Acres and saw that a car had crashed into a house on Mermaid Drive in the Ocean Acres section of Manahawkin. Szwed found out that the crash had happened moments before he arrived and the car's occupants had fled the area, police said.

After a long investigation, police identified the driver as a 17-year-old Beach Haven West resident. The driver is believed to have had multiple juvenile passengers, and one has been identified at this time, police said.

The house was damaged extensively, police said, but no one in the house was injured. There have been no reported injuries of the car's passengers.

The driver, who was located at his house, was issued multiple motor vehicle summonses: failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and failure to report an accident. He is scheduled to appear in the Stafford Township Municipal Court at a later date and time.

The Stafford Township Police Department thanked the multiple agencies who responded to assist at the scene, including: the Stafford Township Volunteer Fire Company, Stafford Township Emergency Medical Services, the Stafford Township Bureau of Fire Prevention, Stafford Township Building Department and the American Red Cross.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Patrolman Szwed at 609-597-1000 ext. 8483 / Tszwed@staffordpolice.org or School Resource Officer Anthony Vincent at 609-597-1000 ext. 8467 / Avincent@staffordpolice.org.