1 Driver Killed, Passenger 'Critical', 2nd Woman Injured In Manchester Crash: Police

MANCHESTER, NJ — An Ocean County man died and a second person was hospitalized in critical condition following a crash Friday night in Pine Lake Park, police said Saturday.

George Hruszczak, 70, of Jackson, died at the scene of the crash, at Northampton and Commonwealth boulevards, of extensive internal injuries, Manchester police said. His passenger, Suzana Collazo, 41, of Jackson, was extricated and flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she was listed in critical condition with internal and head injuries, police said.

Also injured was Lois Genna, 28, of Manchester; she was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment for injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, police said.

The crash happened just before 8 p.m., police said. Hruszczak, who was driving a silver 2005 Honda Civic, had stopped at the stop sign on Northampton Boulevard, but then started to accelerate west across the intersection, into the path of a gray 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Genna that was northbound on Commonwealth Boulevard, police said.

Both Hruszczak and Collazo were wearing their seat belts but the airbags did not deploy in the Honda at the time of the crash, which caused extensive damage to both vehicles, police said. Genna was not wearing a seat belt, police said.

The roads were closed for several hours for rescue efforts and the investigation.

Assisting at the scene were members of the Manchester Volunteer Fire Department, paramedics from Robert Wood Johnson, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Ocean County Sherriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and EMTs with the Manchester Emergency Medical Services.

Sgt. Ian Bole is investigating.