By: Richard L. Smith
A 27-year-old woman from Long Branch was killed in a fiery crash on the Garden State Parkway in Monmouth County early Sunday morning, according to the New Jersey State Police.
Troopers responded at approximately 3:59 a.m. to the southbound express lanes of the Garden State Parkway near milepost 108 in Tinton Falls following reports of a serious crash.
According to a preliminary investigation, Kelvin O. Gomez-Fuentes, 23, of Long Branch, was driving a Toyota pickup truck southbound when the vehicle ran off the roadway to the left side of the highway.
Authorities said the pickup struck a metal storm drain cover, crashed into multiple trees, and overturned.
The vehicle then became engulfed in flames.
Front-seat passenger Katherine E. Andrade-Portillo, 27, of Long Branch, suffered fatal injuries in the crash, officials said.
No other injuries were reported at the scene.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the New Jersey State Police.