BREAKING: 2 N.J. Children Critically Injured In Crash Caused By Cell-Phone-Distracted Driver: Cops

Three people - including two children - were in critical condition Friday after a New Year’s Day crash that may have involved inappropriate use of a cell phone, police said.

A preliminary investigation revealed the driver of a Nissan Sentra may have been distracted by a cellphone, and ran a red light on Route 1.

Three of the Sentra’s occupants age 12, 15, and 21, were in critical condition late Friday, police said.

There are no indications that alcohol was involved in the crash. Route 1 in the South Brunswick area was closed for six hours as police investigated the crash, police said.

The crash, which took place on Route 1 at Deans Lane at 5:13 a.m., involved a Nissan Sentra which was crossing over Route 1 to go onto Deans Lane, and a Nissan Quest minivan which was headed north on Route 1, police said.

The minivan broadsided the Sentra in the northbound lanes of the highway and sent the Sentra into a utility pole. The five occupants of the Sentra were trapped in the vehicle, police said.

The Monmouth Junction Fire Department used the “Jaws of Life” to extricate the occupants from the vehicle. The occupants, ranging an age between 12 and 27, were three family members and two friends. The occupants are all from Ocean County, police said.

The three occupants of the minivan included a husband and wife, both 59, from North Brunswick and an adult relative.

First Aid Squads from Monmouth Junction, Kendall Park, Kingston, and North Brunswick along with paramedics from Robert Wood Johnson University and JFK hospitals treated the injured. Seven of the occupants were transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and one to St. Peter’s University Hospital.

The other occupants have been treated for non life threatening injuries.