Hazlet Man Dies After Wrong-Way Parkway Crash

HAZLET, NJ — The 35-year-old Hazlet man who was fighting for his life after he drove the wrong way on the Garden State Parkway April 27, crashing into an SUV full of children, has died from his injuries.

The death was confirmed by New Jersey State Police to the Asbury Park Press Monday, May 13. Nicholis C. Alfano, 35, of West Keansburg, passed away Friday, May 10 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. He was a lifelong resident of Hazlet, and worked as a truck driver for DeLisa Trucking in Tinton Falls and a communicant of Holy Family RC Church in Union Beach, according to his obituary.

Patch reported on the horrific crash when it happened: The crash occurred just south of Exit 117 in Aberdeen Twp. at 11:02 a.m. Saturday, April 27: Alfano was driving a 2006 Jeep Cherokee south down the Parkway when he suddenly veered off the road, crossed over a grassy median and collided head-on with a 2014 Honda Pilot driving in the northbound lanes, according to State Police.

The Honda Pilot was carrying six children from Brooklyn, ranging in ages from 7 to 16, said State Police.

All the children required medical treatment, as did the driver of the Honda Pilot, Stephen Roberson, 59, a Union Beach man. But nobody in that vehicle was seriously injured.

Alfano, however, had to be airlifted from the Parkway that Saturday morning and was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the nearest trauma center. He remained there in critical condition for weeks before succumbing to his injuries Friday.

Alfano's passenger, James J. Cotugo, 42, of Union Beach, also suffered moderate injuries, police said.

Debris from the impact hit a third car, a Honda Accord. The driver of that car was not injured.

Police have still not not released what exactly caused Alfano to veer into oncoming traffic.

You can read Alfano's obituary here: https://www.dayfuneralhome.com/notices/Nicholis-Alfano

Past reporting on this incident:

Hazlet Man Remains Critical After Driving Wrong Way On Parkway