Man Drunk Driving Causes July 4 Rt. 18 Crash, Say Police

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — A 21-year-old Somerset man who was drunk driving and driving north on Rt. 18 south caused a head-on collision on July 4, say East Brunswick police.

All four people injured in the crash are expected to survive.

Police say that at 5:02 a.m. on the morning of July 4, Jesse Ibarra, 21 of Somerset was driving north in the southbound lanes of Rt. 18, when he crashed into a Ford Fiesta traveling south on Rt. 18 near Hope Street.

It was a head-on collision: The driver and passenger in the Ford Fiesta had to be extricated by the East Brunswick fire department, and the driver was unresponsive. They were both eventually transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital.

Ibarra, driving a Honda Pilot, was also taken to Robert Wood, as was his female passenger.

He was charged with Driving While Intoxicated 39:4-50, and because his passenger sustained injuries he was charged with second-degree Aggravated Assault 2C:12-1B(1), and third-degree Assault by Auto 2C:12-1C(2).

Both victims, as well as Ibarra, were admitted to RWJUH for their injuries. At this time, they are all expected to survive.