3 Injured As Dump Truck Runs Red Light In Manchester Crash: Police

MANCHESTER, NJ — Three people were injured when a dump truck ran a red light at Manchester Boulevard and hit two other vehicles, including an Ocean Ride bus, in a four-vehicle crash Wednesday morning, Manchester police said.

Eric Bair, 24, of Manahawkin, Betty Brushaber, 62, of South Toms River, and Jeffery Allen, 55, of Whiting, were injured and taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment after the crash, Capt. Vincent Manco said. None had life-threatening injuries, he said.

Manco said the crash happened about 8:15 a.m. at the intersection of Manchester Boulevard and Wranglebrook Road.

Bair was driving a white 2021 Ford F450 dump truck north on Manchester Boulevard when he failed to stop for the red light and hit the black 2011 Ford Escape driven by Allen. He was headed west through the intersection from Wranglebrook Road to Pleasant Valley Road, Manco said.

The impact drove the Escape into the northbound lane of Manchester Boulevard, and the dump truck into the southbound lane of Manchester Boulevard.

The dump truck then hit a white 2014 Ford E450 Ocean Ride bus driven by Brushaber, who was stopped at the light, Manco said. The dump truck hit the E450 bus head-on, then ran off the road.

The impact also caused the E450 bus to rotate on its rear driver's side tires, causing the back corner of the bus to hit the passenger side of a white 2019 Mercedes Benz A22. Angel Plunkett, 64, who was driving the Mercedes, and her 6-month-old grandchild were not injured, Manco said.

Assisting at the scene were members of the Manchester Division of Emergency Services, he said.

The preliminary investigation found the failure to observe a traffic signal and careless driving are contributing factors, Manco said.

Patrolmen Jesse Hoydis and Connor Yatauro of the department’s Traffic Safety section are investigating.

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