Rt. 34 Crash Claims Life of Danish Exchange Student

A head-on car crash on Rt. 34 Friday in Holmdel claimed the life of a 23-year-old Danish exchange student who was driving with a Colts Neck couple at the time of the crash, law enforcement officials announced Monday.

Emil Christian Tellerup, 23, of Denmark, died from injuries he sustained about 12 hours after the Friday morning accident, according to a spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

The collision happened on Rt. 34 at the intersection of Roberts Road around 8:46 a.m. Friday, Nov. 27, Holmdel police said. A 2010 Mazda CX-9 was traveling southbound on Rt. 34 and was attempting to make a left turn onto Roberts Road when the vehicle collided with the northbound 2009 Toyota Prius, said police.

No charges have been filed at this time against either driver, but the investigation is ongoing.

Tellerup was sitting in the rear passenger seat of the Prius. He was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick, where he later died.

Four other people were also injured in the accident: The driver and sole occupant of the Mazda, a 69-year-old Holmdel woman, was taken to Robert Wood Johnson as well.

The driver of the Prius was a 65-year-old woman from Colts Neck. Her husband, 65, also of Colts Neck, sat next to her in the front. Next to Tellerup in the back was another exchange student, a 21-year-old young man from Switzerland. All three were all taken to an area hospital. Their condition is unknown at this time.

Anyone with information about this crash is asked to call Sgt. Robert Philhower, of the Holmdel Police Department, at 732-946-4400 ext. 1731, or the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Serious Collision Analysis Response Team at 1-800-533-7443.

Stay tuned for more updates on this story as we get them. File photo.