New Jersey State Police has identified the victim of a crash killed on an interstate in Warren County on Monday morning.
State Police officials said the horrific collision happened in the westbound lanes of I-80 near mile marker 13.1 in Hope Township around 7:15 a.m.
According to Trooper Charles Marchan, a preliminary police investigation revealed that a Nissan Versa was traveling eastbound when the driver somehow lost control of the vehicle and ran off the highway to the left.
Trooper Marchan said the Versa crossed the grass median into the westbound lanes and was struck by a Volvo tractor-trailer.
The passenger inside the car, Ms. Melanise Torres, 19, of Newark, suffered severe injuries and was pronounced dead.
Sources familiar with Torres told RLS Media that she graduated East Side High School in 2021, taking classes at Essex County College and was simply a 'great person.'
"Her father lived in the Poconos, Pennsylvania and Mel occasionally visited, but it is not confirmed if that's where she was returning from when the crash occurred," the source said.
Trooper Marchan did not immediately confirm who the driver of the vehicle was or if they suffered injuries.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.