Hazlet Man Dies Of Injuries From Parkway Crash That Hurt 6 Kids

ABERDEEN, NJ — A 35-year-old Hazlet man who drove head-on into oncoming traffic on the Garden State Parkway last month, seriously injuring himself and hurting six children, has died, according to his obituary.

Nicholis C. Alfano, 35, of Hazlet died Friday at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, according to the Day Funeral Home in Keyport.

Alfana's vehicle collided with an SUV full of children and initially seriously injured himself, his passenger and the other driver in the Aberdeen crash, said New Jersey State Police as of Monday afternoon.

Alfano, 35, of Hazlet had to be airlifted from the Parkway on April 27 and was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the nearest trauma center.

The children required medical treatment, but they were not seriously injured.

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.

That Honda Pilot was carrying six children from Brooklyn, ranging in ages from 7 to 16, said State Police. All the children required medical treatment for injuries that were not life threatening.

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

The driver of the Honda Pilot, Stephen Roberson, 59, of Union Beach, suffered moderate injuries.

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

Trooper Alejandro Goez said the accident remains under investigation, and it has not yet been determined what exactly caused Alfano to veer into oncoming traffic.

"Serious accidents like this can take several weeks to investigate," said Goez, a media spokesman for the New Jersey State Police.

Alfano was born in Elizabeth on March 26, 1984, a son of Eva (Maruszewski) and Daniel Alfano. He was a life long resident of Hazlet. He was a truck driver for DeLisa Trucking in Tinton Falls and a communicant of Holy Family RC Church in Union Beach.

Nicholis is survived by his parents Daniel and Eva Alfano, his fiance Tina Persico, son Tyler Alfano and step son Chase Persico. Also surviving are his sisters Kimberly, Tracy, Christina and brother Daniel Alfano Jr.; and nieces and nephews Daniel III, Shawna, Giavanna, Joseph and Matthew.