Three victims of a fatal three-vehicle crash on Kozloski Road in Freehold Township were identified by authorities Wednesday afternoon during a press conference at the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office in Freehold.
Nicholas J. Dever, 19, of Freehold Borough, was driving a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta traveling south on Kozloski Road when he lost control of the vehicle before crossing the roadway into oncoming traffic in the northbound lanes just before 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Dever’s vehicle collided head-on with a 2006 Honda Pilot driven by Thomas J. Koller, 50, of Freehold Township, who was traveling northbound. Both vehicles rotated counterclockwise, with the Pilot becoming partially airborne before it collided with a 1994 Toyota Camry that was traveling behind Koller’s Pilot.
The driver of the Camry was a 25-year-old man from Freehold Borough. He remained in extremely critical condition Wednesday with a serious head injury at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, according to Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Marc C. LeMieux. Authorities have not released his identity.
The passenger in Dever’s vehicle was identified as Noelle DeLuccio, 20, of Howell.
DeLuccio, Dever and Koller were pronounced dead at the scene. Each had been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, but that did not save their lives in the end, according to LeMieux.
“What this case really tells us is that even when you do wear your seatbelt, it is not always the end-all and be-all that you are going to be safe,” LeMieux said at the conference.
LeMieux said the cause of the crash is under investigation. He would not speculate on contributing factors. They are still asking anyone who might have witnessed the crash or knows more information about it to call Detective Eric Kerecman of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-522-8885 or Police Officer Joseph Winowski of the Freehold Township Police Department at 732-462-7908.