A 20-year-old Pennsylvania man died in a Sunday crash. A truck and three cars were involved in the collision near exit 8A.
By: Casha Caponegro
The State Police wants any information pertaining to a Sunday car crash that killed a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man.
Bradley D. Antonik of Nanticoke, Pa., a passenger in a Ford Escort, was thrown from the car at 11:26 a.m. and dragged to his death after the car collided with a tractor-trailer driven by Nathaniel Stone Sr., 53, of Chester Pa.
According to the State Police, the collision between the truck and three cars in the south-bound lanes of the Turnpike near exit 8A may have been the result of a deadly game of horseplay.
It is believed that a late-model white passenger vehicle, possibly a white Toyota Avalon, and a dark green or black Ford Explorer or Expedition were racing side-by-side on the Turnpike. One of the vehicles allegedly stopped or slowed down to allow the other to pass. This caused a tractor-trailer, driven by Mr. Stone, to swerve out of control.
State Police have determined that the truck hit a Ford Escort driven by Lawrence F. Kochanski, 19, of Plymouth, Pa., and a Chevrolet Cavalier driven by Raymond J. Williamson, 19, of Nanticoke, Pa., because its brakes failed. The tractor-trailer ultimately slammed into a concrete divider before coming to a halt across the center and right travel lanes and right shoulder of the Turnpike.
Mr. Antonik had not fastened his safety belt and was thrown through the passenger-side window, police said. However, his feet became caught and prevented him from falling out of the vehicle. Mr. Antonik was dragged 192 feet before dying on the highway of massive head trauma.
The Ford’s driver, Mr. Kochanski, was treated for a broken arm at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick. Also treated for minor injuries were Mr. Stone, the tractor-trailer’s driver; Mr. Williamson; Jamie L. Chernowsky, 18, and Kelly Maga, 17, all passengers in the Chevrolet from Nanticoke, Pa.; Joseph A. Speicher Jr., 20, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Kyle J. Andrejko, 18, of Alden, Pa., who were passengers of the Ford.
Witnesses have reported that the two suspect vehicles may have stopped at the Molly Pitcher Service Area, located between the southbound 8 and 8A exits, just prior to the accident.
Any motorist who was traveling the New Jersey Turnpike between 11 and 11:30 a.m. Sunday and who might have witnessed the accident or has any information leading to the identification of the two suspect vehicles is asked to contact Detective I. Leonard Abline at the State Police Cranbury Station at (609) 409-1609. All information will be kept confidential.