Somerset Driver Fatally Hits Woman, Plunges Car Into Delaware Bay: Cops

SOMERSET, NJ — A man from Somerset lost control of his car and fatally hit a woman before plunging into the Delaware Bay, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office said.

On Sunday at about 7:38 p.m., 56-year-old James Swayne of Somerset was driving a 2015 Hyundai Elantra in the area of Lincoln Boulevard and Beach Drive in Lower Township before losing control, said Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Chief Kevin Lewis of the Lower Township Police Department in a joint statement.

Swayne hit another vehicle and then Donna Buhner, 75, from the Erma section of Lower Township, who was sitting on a bench. The car then went into the water, officials said.

Buhner was airlifted by MEDEVAC helicopter to Cooper Trauma Center, where she died from her injuries, officials said.

Swayne was treated for his injuries at Cape Regional Medical Center.

Initial reports from witnesses said that Swayne may have suffered a medical episode right before the crash, Sutherland and Lewis said.

This investigation is being conducted by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Crash Investigation Unit and members of the Lower Township Police Department. The full circumstances around the crash are under investigation and no charges have been filed at this time, Sutherland said.

— Additional reporting by Veronica Flesher

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