Former Miss NJ Remains Critical Following Monday Night Crash

Friends of the former Miss New Jersey who was critically injured in a car crash on Monday are asking the public for prayers as Cara McCollum recovers from brain surgery.

Friends launched the “Prayers for Cara” Facebook page on Thursday, and 3,531 had already “liked” it by Friday morning.

“Cara needs your prayers NOW,” a post on the page reads. “She is in critical condition at a Level 1 Trauma Center in New Jersey, and the situation couldn’t be more serious. Cara is a strong, determined young woman, but her life is in God’s hands right now. We’re praying for a miracle, because that’s what it will take for Cara to come back to us. We’re asking you to do the same. We feel your prayers — please, please don’t stop. Cara has already touched so many lives, and we believe she still has important work to do.”

The page includes inspirational messages and a photo gallery of McCollum and her boyfriend, Keith Jones, an anchor for NBC 10. McCollum is an anchor for Millville-based SNJ Today.

McCollum sustained serious head injuries when the 24-year-old Margate resident lost control of her car on Route 55 in Salem County, left the road and hit three trees Monday night.

She was taken to Cooper Health Systems in Camden, where she underwent brain surgery. The hospital is not providing updates on her condition, at the family’s request.

She won the Miss New Jersey Pageant in 2013, and is a graduate of Princeton University.

The attached image is a Patch file photo