Man is charged with DWI
after fatal two-car crash
By sue m. morgan
Staff Writer
A Monroe Township man is facing five charges including driving while intoxicated following an accident that resulted in the death of a 21-year-old Old Bridge man on Thursday night.
Daniel R. Blizniak, 24, of Polonia Court in Monroe, was charged shortly after the 10:19 p.m. crash near the intersection of Englishtown and West Greystone roads in Old Bridge that killed Mark D. Takacs, 21, of Texas Road, according to Old Bridge Police Lt. Jack Sweeney.
In addition to the drunk driving charge, Blizniak faces charges of aggravated assault, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license and driving without insurance coverage, police reports state. The aggravated assault charge could be upgraded pending the results of an ongoing investigation into the accident, Sweeney said.
Reports indicate that police who responded to the scene of the crash discovered both men’s vehicles in the northbound lane of Englishtown Road. The exact cause of the collision remains under investigation, Sweeney said.
Blizniak’s silver 2001 four-door Hyundai was facing northbound toward West Greystone Road, according to police reports. The front end of Takacs’ vehicle, a 1991 four-door Buick, was discovered facing northwest as it sat in the northbound lane of Englishtown Road, reports said.
Blizniak had been partially ejected from a passenger-side window of his vehicle, according to police. Takacs was found unconscious inside his vehicle, reports said.
Both men were transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, where Takacs was pronounced dead at 10:40 p.m. that night.
Blizniak was released from the hospital on Monday after receiving treatment for injuries sustained in the crash, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Authorities are asking that any witnesses to the accident contact Officer Robert Phillips at (732) 721-5600, ext. 3150.
Funeral services for Takacs were held Monday at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, Old Bridge.
A lifelong township resident, Takacs was a student at Middlesex County College, Edison, at the time of his death. He had attended St. Thomas the Apostle School and graduated from Bishop Ahr High School, Edison, in 1999.