Somerset Man Killed, 5 Injured In Fiery Mercer County Car Crash: Police

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A fiery car crash in Mercer County Tuesday morning, killed a Somerset man and injured five others, West Windsor police said.

Around 4:21 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30, West Windsor police went to Route 1 North at Washington Road for a report of a serious crash.

Officers found a 2011 Honda Accord embedded into trees in the AT&T parking lot. The car was on fire, and two of the five occupants were trapped inside, police said.

Meanwhile, the second vehicle, a 2023 Kia Sorrento, driven by an Ewing resident, was found within the Penns Neck Circle disabled from the crash.

Officers worked to free the occupants of the burning vehicle. Stations 43, 44, and 45 worked to extinguish the raging fire and help the injured, police said.

They were finally able to remove the remaining occupants. The front seat passenger, a resident of Somerset, died from his injuries at the hospital, police said.

The four other occupants including the driver of both cars sustained injuries that were later considered non-life threatening.

All of the injured were taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center for treatment. The identities of the dead and injured are not being released at this time, police said.

According to the initial investigation, the Honda Accord was driving east on Washington Road at Penns Neck Circle and the Ewing man was driving north on Route 1 North.

The driver of the Honda Accord tried to cross all lanes of Route 1 North & South when it collided with the other car in the Route 1 North lanes.

The Honda Accord, with its five occupants, continued off of the road where it struck a traffic light and a street sign on the grass median, police said. The car continued in a northeasterly direction, reentered the road, entered the AT&T parking lot where it struck several trees, and came to its final resting place on fire, police said.

The second car continued in a northeasterly direction and came to its final resting place facing east in the Penns Neck Circle off Route 1 North.

Washington Road between Route 1 North and Fairview Avenue was closed for around 5 hours on Tuesday morning.

The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office Serious Collision Response Team (MCPO SCRT) is helping with the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information on the crash can contact Traffic Officer E. McQuade #97 at (609) 799-1222, the Anonymous Tipline at 609-799-0452, or McQuade@westwindsorpolice.com.

— Reporting by Sarah Salvadore