Toms River Police ID Man Killed In Head-On Whitesville Road Crash

Toms River, NJ — Toms River police have identified the man who was killed in Thursday's head-on three-car collision that shut down Whitesville Road for several hours.

Michael Gormley, 60, of the Lanoka Harbor section of Lacey Township, died in the crash that happened about 7 a.m. Thursday, said Ralph Stocco, spokesman for the Toms River Police Department.

Gormley was headed north on Whitesville Road in a 2010 Chevy Malibu when a 2000 Nissan XTR driven south by Jack Kennedy Jr., 34, of Jackson, crossed the center yellow line and hit Gormley's car head-on at Medjay Lane, Stocco said.

Dawn Kavchok, 45, of Manchester, was driving northbound in a 2015 Kia behind Gormley and tried to avoid the crash but was unable to do so, Stocco said.

Police are still investigating and have not said what caused Kennedy to cross into Gormley's path.

Kennedy was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, where he is hospitalized with serious injuries, Stocco said. Kavchok was taken to Community Medical Center, Toms River, with minor injuries, Stocco said.

All three drivers were the sole occupants of their vehicles, Stocco said.

Stocco said the Pleasant Plains and Silverton Fire Companies responded to extricate the victims from their vehicles. The injured were transported to the hospitals by Toms River and Silverton EMS Units, he said.

Whitesville Road was closed for more than four hours while police investigated the scene and it was cleaned up.

The crash investigation is being led by Toms River Traffic Safety Officer Terry Warren. He is being assisted by Ocean County Prosecutors Investigators Mike Proto and Brad Frank. Also on the scene were members of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department C.S.I. Division, he said.

Photos of the crash aftermath provided by the Toms River Police Department