A violent two-vehicle crash in Manchester Township on Monday afternoon claimed the life of a young driver, injured another, and ignited a large brush fire that drew an urgent response from multiple fire departments.
At approximately 2:10 p.m., officers from the Manchester Township Police Department were dispatched to the intersection of Mount Misery Road and Pasadena Road following reports of a collision involving a dump truck and an SUV — both vehicles fully engulfed in flames.
When officers arrived, they found a 2023 red Kenworth dump truck, badly mangled and ablaze, resting on the grass shoulder and woodline of northeast Pasadena Road. Nearby, a 2023 silver Toyota Highlander lay overturned on its roof on the opposite side of the roadway, smoke and fire still pouring from the wreckage.
The driver of the dump truck, 51-year-old Stacy W. Clay of Toms River, suffered lower body injuries and was treated at the scene. Tragically, the driver of the Toyota Highlander, identified as 22-year-old Jack P. Lisowsky of Manchester, was pronounced dead on site from injuries sustained in the collision.
Investigators determined that the crash occurred when Lisowsky’s Toyota, traveling southeast on Pasadena Road, crossed over the centerline and collided head-on with the dump truck. The impact caused the SUV to flip over, coming to rest upside-down, while the dump truck veered off the road and smashed into several trees before coming to a fiery stop.
The collision sparked a large blaze that quickly spread to the surrounding wooded area and an adjacent grass field, prompting an extensive fire department response to contain the flames.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.