Saddle Brook Teen Killed In South Brunswick Crash Sunday

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A serious car crash that occurred Sunday night, Dec. 3, on Fresh Ponds Road in South Brunswick has tragically turned fatal: A teenage girl from Bergen County died as a result of injuries she sustained in the single-vehicle crash, South Brunswick police announced Monday.

The girl has been identified as Brooke Costanzo, 16, of Saddle Brook, NJ. Friends described Costanzo as being a well-liked athlete who played lacrosse and was also a cheerleader, NorthJersey.com reported.

The young woman was involved in a one-car crash on Fresh Ponds Road Sunday evening, Dec. 3. South Brunswick police were called at 6:31 p.m. to Fresh Ponds Road near Selma Drive for a vehicle off the roadway that hit a tree. She had been driving a 2012 Honda Pilot headed eastbound on Fresh Ponds Road when the car veered off the roadway on a curve and struck a tree. It is not clear at this time whether she had her driver's license, as she was only 16 at the time of the crash.

The Monmouth Junction Fire Department responded to the crash, and it took firefighters thirty minutes to pull the teenage girl from the wreckage. South Brunswick EMS and paramedics took the teenager to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. She succumbed to her injuries at 6 a.m. Monday, Dec. 4.

Her family has had to deal with tragedy in recent years: The Daily Voice reports Costanzo's father, Timothy Costanzo, died in a motorcycle crash six and a half years ago. A GoFundMe page has been set up for her family.

She was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

The collision forced the closure of Fresh Ponds Road from 6:30 to almost midnight Sunday night.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact South Brunswick Police Traffic Safety Officer Michael Leung at (732) 329-4000 ext. 7430. South Brunswick Police Traffic Safety Bureau is investigating the crash.

Photo via GoFundMe page for Brooke Costanzo