2nd Victim Dies Following Fuel Tanker Collision, NJ State Police Say

METUCHEN, NJ — A second person has died following a major fuel tanker collision that occurred on I-287 on Sunday, NJ State Police told Patch.

At 5:53 a.m. on Sunday, troopers responded to the crash on I-287 north at milepost 1.9 in Metuchen.

Based on a preliminary investigation, police said a Volvo tractor pulling a fuel tanker trailer was going north when a Jeep SUV struck the back of the trailer.

As a result of the crash, the Volvo tractor, the fuel tanker trailer and the Jeep all became fully engulfed in flames.

The driver of the Jeep, whose identity remains under investigation as of Tuesday, sustained fatal injuries.

On Monday, the passenger of the Jeep, identified as Steven Merisier, 25, of North Brunswick, also succumbed to his injuries, police said.

In an online post from Jonathan M. Busch, the mayor of Metuchen, Busch said that the crash led to the shutdown of lanes on Route 287 and that the borough has been working with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) and Middlesex County Hazmat officials to track any fuel runoff from the incident.

According to Busch, none of that runoff has entered Metuchen.

"Any affected runoff areas are already being addressed by DEP crews, and officials do not expect any significant environmental impact," he said.

Busch also expressed his gratitude to members of the Metuchen Fire Department, as shortly after flames from the crash spread to the trees along I-287, firefighters positioned themselves near the business area at the end of High Street and prevented the fire from spreading further toward Metuchen.

"I truly cannot overstate how important that effort was in preventing an already very serious situation from becoming even worse for our community," Busch said.

"Thank you to all of the firefighters, police officers, EMS crews, OEM personnel, DEP and hazmat teams, and all of the mutual aid responders who continue to work this incident."

Previous Coverage

• Major Fuel Tanker Collision Kills Driver, 'Seriously Injures' Passenger In NJ