By: Richard L. Smith
Two women were killed and another was seriously injured Saturday night following a multi-vehicle crash involving a tractor-trailer on the Garden State Parkway in Ocean County.
According to preliminary information released by New Jersey State Police, troopers responded to the northbound lanes near milepost 87 in Toms River Township at approximately 9:42 p.m. on October 24.
Investigators said a Genesis passenger vehicle had become disabled in the center lane of the highway, with a Freightliner tractor-trailer stopped behind it.
Authorities said Caryn J. Coon, 22, of Forked River, was driving a Honda northbound when her vehicle struck the rear of the tractor-trailer.
The impact sent her vehicle off the right side of the roadway and down a grassy embankment.
Moments later, a Ford SUV driven by Amanda K. McHenry, 32, of New York City, also struck the rear of the stopped tractor-trailer.
Police confirmed that Coon and Lauren J. Maturo, 32, of Syosset, New York, who was a front-seat passenger in the Ford, suffered fatal injuries.
McHenry sustained serious injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. The tractor-trailer driver suffered minor injuries.
No additional injuries were reported.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation by New Jersey State Police.