Three Hurt In Chain-Reaction Crash On Route 37 In Manchester

A Lakewood woman is in critical condition and her husband is listed in serious condition after they were injured in a four-car chain-reaction rear-end crash on Route 37 Wednesday evening, Manchester police said.

Mary Brucato, 62, and her husband Charles, 62, were flown by medevac helicopter to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, after the crash, which happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Route 37 near Commonwealth Boulevard, Manchester Capt. Todd Malland said.

Malland said the initial investigation has determined that the crash occurred when a 2001 Ford F150 driven by Michael Caprio, 19, of Manchester, hit the rear of a 1997 Toyota Camry driven by Mary Brucato, whose husband was a passenger in the Camry.

The Camry was stopped in traffic in the eastbound lane, Malland said.

The force of the impact pushed the Camry into the back of a 2015 Kia Soul driven by Kenneth Jacobs, 60, of Holiday City at Berkeley. Jacobs’ Kia then hit the back of a 2014 Subaru WRX driven by Charles Approvato of Toms River, Malland said.

Neither Jacobs nor his passenger, Karen Tummillo, 64 of Holiday City at Berkeley, were injured in the crash. Approvato was uninjured as well, Malland said.

Caprio, the driver of the Ford F150, was taken to Community Medical Center with complaints of head and neck pain, Malland said.

The crash closed the eastbound lanes of Route 37 for more than three hours while the NJ Department of Transportation Incident Management Response Team investigated. Assisting at the scene were members of both the Manchester Volunteer Fire Department and Manchester Volunteer First Aid Squad, as well as paramedics from MONOC. Also assisting at the scene were investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit, and detectives from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigations Unit.

The crash is being investigated by Patrolman Paul Bachovchin and Patrolman Antonio Ellis of the Manchester Township Police Traffic Safety Section.

(Photo credits: Manchester Township Police)