Update: Driver Cited Following Cedar Grove Car Accident

The 17-year-old driver of a Nissan sedan that crashed into a Jeep after running a red light has been cited for the traffic violation, Cedar Grove Police said Monday.

The two drivers suffered minor injuries when their vehicles collided at the intersection of Ridge Road and Bradford Avenue in Cedar Grove shortly after 4 p.m. on Friday, May 20.

The Jeep was toppled over by the force of the impact, and the Jeep's windshield had been cut away to extract the driver by fire and rescue squad personnel.

More than half a dozen emergency vehicles rushed to the scene within minutes following the crash, including police officers from Verona and Montclair, as well as multiple ambulances from the Cedar Grove Ambulance & Rescue Squad and Cedar Grove Fire Department trucks. The vehicles' drivers, whose names were not immediately known, were both taken to local hospitals by ambulance.

Residents from nearby houses crowded the corners of the intersection to watch the emergency responders as they sprinkled sawdust to soak up anti-freeze spilled in the crash, and tow away the vehicles.

Police officers were directing vehicles away from Bradford Avenue and onto Ridge Road, and traffic was moving relatively smoothly.

An eyewitness at the scene said he was walking to a friend's house when he saw the collision right in front of his eyes.

He said the driver of the Nissan had run a red light when it smacked into the side of the Jeep, flipping it on its side.

"I saw the driver of the Jeep looked like he was in shock...the woman driving the Nissan was crying."

The witness said both were taken away in stretchers and neck braces by ambulances. 

Police later identified the Jeep driver as a 21-year-old Montclair man, and the Nissan driver as a 17-year-old Wayne girl.

Cedar Grove Police Chief Richard Vanderstreet said the cause of the accident is still under investigation, and categorized the drivers' injuries as "non-life threatening." Vanderstreet said the driver of the Jeep was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson, reporting head pain, and the driver of the Nissan was taken to Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, saying she was experiencing neck and wrist pain.