LACEY TOWNSHIP, New Jersey — A young woman with her whole life ahead of her did not make it home Friday afternoon. A baby who had no say in any of it got hurt. And a stretch of one of New Jersey’s busiest highways went quiet for nearly three hours.
The crash happened shortly before 3 p.m. on August 7, near milepost 75.8 on the northbound Garden State Parkway in Lacey Township, Ocean County.
What Investigators Say Happened
New Jersey State Police say 26-year-old Johan Mendez, of New York City, was driving a Toyota sedan northbound when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a guardrail.
The car bounced back into the travel lanes and collided with a Hyundai sedan.
The force of the impact ejected two passengers from the Toyota — 20-year-old Iisiz Lopez, also of New York City, and an infant.
Lopez was pronounced dead at the scene.
The infant suffered minor injuries. Mendez and two other passengers in the Toyota were also hurt and transported to a hospital. The Hyundai’s driver sustained minor injuries as well.
A Highway Brought to a Standstill
The northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway were shut down for nearly three hours following the crash, reopening shortly before 6 p.m.
For the families of everyone in those cars, the road will take far longer to recover from.
New Jersey State Police have not yet released a cause for the crash. The investigation remains ongoing.
A life was cut short at 20. A baby was left injured. Someone needs to answer for what happened on that highway — and right now, investigators are working to find out why.
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