Toms River Woman Killed, Man Injured After SUV Hits Them: Police

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River woman was killed and a man was injured Sunday evening when they were hit by an SUV as they crossed Hooper Avenue, Toms River police said Monday.

Manuela Morales-Torres, 60, of Walnut Street, died as a result of the impact, Toms River Police Department spokesman Ralph Stocco said. A 62-year-old man who was with Morales-Torres was injured and is being treated at a local hospital for several injuries, Stocco said.

The pair were walking east across Hooper Avenue at Terrace Avenue when they were hit by a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox driven by Rosemary Goebel, 76, of Northstream Drive in Toms River at 5:49 p.m., Stocco said.

Goebel was driving east on Terrace Avenue and made a left turn through a green light to go north on Hooper Avenue, Stocco said.

Terrace Avenue, which runs along the north side of the St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church property, is marked with crosswalks; Stocco said it was not immediately clear whether Morales-Torres and her male companion were in a crosswalk at the time.

Toms River Traffic Safety Officers Robert Westfalland Brian Doyle are conducting the investigation along with members of the Ocean County Prosecutor's office and Ocean County Sheriff’s Department CSI Division, Stocco said.

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