Victims ID'd, Charges Filed In Fatal Route 29 Accident

Both people killed in an accident involving a Mack dump truck and a Ford Crown Victoria on Route 29 Monday afternoon has been identified, and charges have been filed against the driver of the truck, authorities said on Wednesday.

Arthur Reed, 42, of Lambertville, was driving the Crown Victoria south on Route 29 shortly before 1 p.m. on Monday, March 26, when the car collided with the Mack truck — which was travelling north — according to the Hamilton Township Police Department.

After the vehicles collided, they both hit a utility pole and caught fire, according to Hopewell Township police.
Reed and passenger Mark Leary Sr., 58, of Lambertville, were both killed in the accident, police said. Leary was previously identified as a victim by the Lambertville Fire Department.

James Bilton, 59, of Edgewater Park, was driving the truck. He has been issued motor vehicle summonses for failure to maintain lane and careless driving. He wasn't injured in the crash.

Leary was a firefighter with the department, and his fellow firefighters didn’t realize he was a victim when they responded to the scene to extinguish the blaze. His sons, Mark Jr. and Collin, are also members of the local fire company.

According to the GoFundMe page set up by the Delaware River Towns Chamber of Commerce, Leary was a lifelong Lambertville resident and a member of the Lambertville Fire Department for more than four decades. He also served as a United States Marine.

"Mark will always be remembered as a dedicated husband, loving father, and an outstanding community servant who always put others before himself," the GoFundMe page said.

The crash remains under investigation by the Hopewell Township Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Serious Collision Response Team.

Donations to the Leary family can be made by check to: Delaware River Towns Charities memo: c/o Leary Family Memorial Fund, DRTCC&VB, 77 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530

With reporting by Kara Seymour, Patch Staff

Image via GoFundMe, used with permission