Woman Critical, Man Hurt In Whitesville Road Crash In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Two people were injured, one critically, in a three-vehicle crash that shut down Whitesville Road for about three hours Thursday evening, Toms River police said.

Irene Firestone, 67, of Jackson, was in critical condition at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, as of 11 p.m. Thursday; an update on her condition was not immediately available on Friday morning, Jillian Messina of the Toms River Police Department said.

Also injured was Richard Solari, 67, of Bayville; he was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River with minor injuries, she said.

The crash happened about 4:50 p.m. near Cleveland Street. Solari was driving south on Whitesville Road in an 2017 Ram pickup truck when he crossed into the northbound land and hit the driver's side of Firestone's 2014 Hyundai Elantra, Messina said. He then hit a 2016 Ford van driven by Yisroel Eizikovitz, 26, of Lakewood.

Firestone was trapped in her car and had to be extricated by Pleasant Plains Fire Department. She was airlifted to Jersey Shore. Solari was had to be rescued from his overturned truck, she said.

Eizikovitz was not injured, she said.

The investigation into the crash by Toms River Police Traffic Safety Officers Terry Warren, Adam Koeppen, and PJ Gambardella is ongoing. Preliminary investigation found no apparent impairment however a blood sample taken from Solari. No charges have been filed as of Friday morning.

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Photo by Toms River Police Department