Monmouth Co. Officer Who Died Struck Rt. 36 Telephone Pole: Police

UNION BEACH, NJ - A Union Beach Police Department detective died in an off-duty motor vehicle crash on Sunday in Atlantic Highlands, authorities said.

Det. Corp. Timothy Kelly, Jr., 29, who was remembered as a “rising star” at the police department, died around 2 a.m. Sunday morning after his 2010 Honda Civic crashed into a telephone pole on Route 36 near Grand Avenue, Atlantic Highlands police said.

Despite life-saving efforts by paramedics, Kelly was pronounced dead at the scene, police added. The investigation is still ongoing.

Kelly was the sole occupant in the car at the time of the crash, police said.

Over the course of a five-year career, the young detective was involved in “many high profile and sensitive special operations” along the ranks of the FBI, DEA and Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, Union Beach police said in a statement.

Kelly, a 2011 graduate of St. John Vianney High School, also received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama with a double major in history and criminal justice. He ultimately followed the career path of his father, Sgt. Timothy Kelly, who had worked for the same department.

Several law enforcement agencies offered their condolences via social media on Sunday, including police departments from Little Silver, Monmouth Beach and Keyport, as well as the New Jersey State Park Police.

St. John Vianney High School also released a statement eulogizing the alumnus.

“Please keep the Kelly family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” the school wrote.