Colts Neck Man, 71, Killed In Phalanx Road Car Crash

COLTS NECK, NJ — A Colts Neck man was killed when his car veered out of its lane and hit two other cars on Phalanx Road Wednesday afternoon, according to a spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor.

The Colts Neck man is Benjamin O’Neill, 71. The collision occurred at 2:42 p.m. on Phalanx Road.

The prosecutor's office says O’Neill was traveling west on Phalanx Road in his 2017 Jeep Cherokee when his car left its lane of travel and struck a 2013 Ford E35 van that was traveling eastbound. O'Neil then struck a second car, a 2014 Hyundai Elantra, said law enforcement.

O'Neill, who was not wearing a seat belt, was found out of the driver's seat in his car and unresponsive; he was transported to Riverview Medical Center, said the prosecutor's office. He died at Riverview about one hour after the crash.

The van was driven by a 21-year-old Holmdel man and the Hyundai Elantra was driven by an 18-year-old woman from Freehold. Neither were injured.

What exactly caused O'Neil to veer out of his lane is pending the results of a postmortem examination by the Middlesex County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

If anyone has any information or witnessed the crash, please contact Colts Neck Township Police Officer Brian Matthews 732-780-7323 or Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Detective Ryan McAndrews at 732-431-7160 ext. 2806.