Crime & Safety

Brick Man, 25, Dies in Route 88 Crash

Three vehicles involved, police say

A 25-year-old Brick resident died Monday morning following a traffic accident on Route 88 that involved three vehicles, police said.

Stephen J. Jackson died of internal injuries, according to Brick Police Sgt. David Bedrosian.

An icy roadway is being cited as a factor in the 8:36 a.m. crash, in which Jackson's 1995 BMW 325 was hit by a 2003 Ford Explorer being driven by Tonya McWade, 42, of Brick.

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Bedrosian said McWade lost control of the Explorer after hitting an icy patch as she turned onto the state highway from Brentwood Avenue. At the time, Jackson was travelling eastbound.

"Her vehicle began to rotate counter-clockwise and crossed the center roadway lines and into the oncoming eastbound lane," said Bedrosian.

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The collision occurred in the eastbound lane approximately 350 feet west of Brentwood Avenue, said Bedrosian. The BMW eventually came to rest in the shoulder near the Olympic Gardens complex after striking a utility pole. The Explorer eventually left the roadway and stopped in a wooded embankment.

A third vehicle, a 2012 Honda Accord driven by Tzvi A. Kugler, 38, of Lakewood, also collided with the Explorer and was pushed to the eastbound shoulder of Route 88, east of the BMW.

Neither McWade nor her 11-year-old passenger suffered any injuries in the accident. Kugler complained of facial pain, an accident report said.

Multiple Brick police officers, Brick Police EMS and MONOC paramedics responded to the scene, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Medical Examiner and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigation Unit.

Both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Route 88 were closed for about three and a half hours, Bedrosian said. During that time, the Lakewood Police Department and NJ Department of Transportation assisted with detours.

Officers Jay Lampiasi, Scott Dierking and Sgt. Bedrosian of the Brick Township Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit responded and are conducting the crash investigation.

"The cause of the crash is still pending further investigation at this time although it appears that the icy road conditions may have contributed to the crash," said Bedrosian.

Anyone with information surrounding the crash is being asked to contact the Traffic Safety Unit at 732-262-1140.


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