A 53-year-old Toms River woman was killed Thursday afternoon following a two-vehicle head-on crash on Route 70 in Manchester Township, authorities said.
The crash occurred at approximately 5:14 p.m. on July 30 near mile marker 43. According to the Manchester Township Police Department, a 2019 Honda Civic traveling eastbound crossed the center line into the westbound lanes, where it collided head-on with a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD.
Police said the Honda, driven by Tammy Huth, 53, of Toms River, sustained severe front-end damage. Huth, who was the vehicle’s sole occupant and was wearing a seat belt, was found unresponsive despite the deployment of the vehicle’s front and side airbags. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Chevrolet, identified as 32-year-old Colin Michaelis of Lindenwold, was also the sole occupant of his vehicle. He was wearing a seat belt, and the truck’s front and side airbags deployed during the collision. He sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries.
Both vehicles came to rest in the westbound lanes of Route 70, which remained closed for several hours while emergency crews conducted the investigation and cleared the scene.
Responding agencies included the Manchester Township Division of Emergency Services, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, Whiting Volunteer Fire Department, New Jersey Department of Transportation, New Jersey State Police, Priced Rite Towing, and Oliverie Funeral Home.
The crash remains under investigation by Patrolman Sage Sysol of the Manchester Township Police Department’s Traffic Safety Section. Investigators said failure to maintain lane appears to be the primary contributing factor.
