Marlboro PD Saves Young Woman From Burning Car

MARLBORO, NJ – Two officers from the Marlboro Police Department successfully freed a young woman from a vehicle fire on Monday evening. The victim was trapped between two cars as a result of a collision on Conover Road between County Road 520 and Pleasant Valley Road, according to a release from the Marlboro Police Department.

The young woman, a 17-year-old resident of Freehold, was trapped in a red GMC Envoy with its front end on fire. The victim was seated in the back seat of the Envoy when she was partially ejected from the vehicle, causing her to become pinned between the two cars during the collision. Officers on the scene attempted to push the two cars apart with little success as the fire started to spread within the Envoy, according to the release.

While officers tried to extinguish the vehicle fire, Officer Donna Gonzalez and Ptlm. Robert Kelly used a patrol vehicle to push the two two cars apart, which successfully freed the female. Moments later, the Envoy was engulfed in flames, according to the Marlboro Police Department. The victim was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center with serious internal injuries and was listed in critical but stable condition.

Marlboro Police Chief Peter Pezzullo arrived on scene shortly after the Freehold resident was unpinned from the vehicle. “If not for the officers’ decisive action, the young lady pinned between the two vehicles would have undoubtedly perished,” Chief Pezzullo said. “Officer Gonzalez and Officer Kelly acted with swift certainty and relied on sound judgement. I am extremely proud of both officers and I commend them for their actions.”

The vehicle fire was later extinguished by the Morganville Fire Department. Conover Road was shut down for a period of time.

The driver of the red GMC Envoy is a 17-year-old male from Marlboro, NJ and was reported uninjured from the collision. He was carrying two young passengers: the Freehold female and a 17-year-old male from Marlboro, NJ. The male passenger sustained minor injuries and was transported to the hospital via ambulance.

The driver of the other vehicle involved, a black Cadillac Escalade, was a 57-year-old man who reported no injuries. He had no passengers in his car at the time of the collision.

The Marlboro Township Police Traffic and Safety Bureau is currently investigating the crash. Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact Ptlm. David Stattel at (732) 536-01000 ext. 1116 or Dstattel@marlboropd.org.