Three Injured In 7-Vehicle Crash That Closed Route 37

(Photos show the vehicles damaged in the seven-vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon. Credit: Manchester Township Police Department)

Three people were injured in a seven-vehicle crash that shut down Route 37 at Commonwealth Boulevard for about an hour early Tuesday afternoon, Manchester police said.

James F. Hilberg, 69, of Whiting was airlifted to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune with possible internal injuries, Capt. Todd Malland of the Manchester Township Police Department said.

Katherine Marciano, 90, of Manchester, and Jayson Hodges, 44, of Whiting, both were taken to Community Medical Center, Toms River. Marciano complained of chest pains while Hodges reported pain in his lower back, Malland said.

Malland said the initial investicatino shows the the accident occurred when Hilberg, who was driving west on Route 37 in a 2011 Jeep, hit the rear end of Marciano’s 2009 Honda. After hitting the Honda, Hilberg’s Jeep continued west, hitting a 2009 Subaru driven by Frank Sardoni, 78, of Manchester, and a 2013 commercial dump truck driven by Richard Bonilla, 30 of Farmingdale. From there, Hilberg’s Jeep crossed into the eastbound lanes of Route 37 and hit a 2005 Hyundai driven by Christopher Butler, 28, of Manchester.

At that point Hilberg’s Jeep stopped.

The other two vehicles -- a 2012 Nissan driven by Hodges, and a 2014 Honda driven by Juanito Canete, 72, of Manchester -- were part of a chain reaction, with Hodges’ vehicle hit in the rear by Marciano’s Honda, and Hodges’ Nissan then hitting the rear of Canete’s car, Malland said.

All operators and passengers involved were reported to be wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash, he said.

The eastbound part of Route 37 reopened about 1:30, with the westbound portion reopening shortly before 2 p.m., according to Nixle alerts.