Asleep Driver Leads To Head-On Crash In Lacey: Police

LACEY, NJ — A driver possibly fell asleep on the road, leading to a head-on crash in front of the Oyster Creek Power Plant, Lacey police said.

At about 5:20 a.m. on May 30, police responded to the crash on Route 9 and found two cars with heavy front end damage, with a 25-year-old Waretown woman trapped in one. She was airlifted due to suspected serious injuries, police said.

The other driver, a 54-year-old Manchester man, did not suffer any apparent injuries, according to police.

Police said that the woman, driving a 2016 Nissan Sentra south on Route 9, possibly fell asleep at the wheel and drifted into the northbound lane.

Rumble strips alerted her and she headed back into the correct lane; however, at the same time, the Manchester man was heading north and tried to evade her by heading into the southbound lane right as she corrected herself.

This caused the vehicles to crash head-on in the southbound lane, police said.

Route 9 was closed and detoured from Beach Boulevard to the Ocean Township border for about two to three hours, police said.

The Waretown woman has since been released from the hospital with minor injuries, police said.

The collision remains under investigation by Officer Jason Lee. Anyone with information regarding the incident, contact Lee at 609-693-6636 ext. 2536.