2 NJ Women Crushed To Death Under Overturned Tractor Trailer, Police Say

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Two women died after a tractor trailer overturned onto their car on a busy stretch of highway in North Jersey on Tuesday morning, authorities say.

According to the NJ State Police, the crash took place at 9:08 a.m. on the eastbound portion of I-78 in Newark around milepost 56.8.

A preliminary investigation shows that a Mack tractor hauling a utility trailer was traveling eastbound on the highway, when it encountered Chevrolet sedan that had stopped for traffic in the left lane ahead.

The truck driver attempted an evasive steering maneuver, but overturned onto the Chevrolet, police said.

The driver of the car, Ayesha Wright, and the passenger, Kendra Rouse, 25 – both Newark residents – sustained fatal injuries.

The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained minor injuries, authorities said.

A police investigation continues. No additional information was immediately available.

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