By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN – The evening of Oct. 2 turned deadly when a pedestrian was struck and killed on Route 33 in Manalapan near an intersection where similar incidents have occurred in the past few years.
As in previous incidents, the victim was a resident of the Marianne Manor on Route 33 east near Woodward Road. Marianne Manor is a licensed residential healthcare facility operated by the state.
In recent years, a Walgreens pharmacy, a CVS pharmacy and a Wawa convenience store have opened at the intersection of Route 33 and Woodward Road.
Manalapan officials have said at previous municipal meetings they are aware that residents of Marianne Manor regularly walk along Route 33, which does not have sidewalks, cross the highway and sit or stand at the corner of Route 33 and Woodward Road, creating issues for motorists.
Police said that at 8:55 p.m. Oct. 2, officers responded to the area of Route 33 west near Woodward Road to follow up a report about a pedestrian who had been struck by a motor vehicle.
Upon their arrival at the scene, the officers found the male pedestrian who had been struck and was laying in the center median of the highway. The officers determined he had suffered fatal injuries as a result of the crash, according to police.
Police said the vehicle that struck the pedestrian was a 2006 Ford Five Hundred that was being operated by Peter Ramsdell, 54, of Plainsboro. Police said Ramsdell did not sustain any injuries as a result of the collision.
A preliminary investigation by police determined the pedestrian, who was identified as Marvin Hodgdon, 58, of the Marianne Manor, Manalapan, was crossing Route 33 from the area of Woodward Road.
As Hodgdon attempted to cross the highway, the Ford sedan struck him in the left lane of travel on the westbound side of Route 33.
As a result of the incident, Route 33 westbound was closed for about three hours. As of Oct. 3, no complaints had been signed and the crash remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Detective Dominick Donatelli at 732-446-8388.
In addition to the Manalapan Police Department, MONOC paramedics, the Englishtown-Manalapan First Aid Squad and members of the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team responded to the scene.
On Aug. 25, 2015, a 60-year-old male resident of the Marianne Manor was struck and killed by a vehicle as he was standing in the right lane of Route 33 eastbound near the state highway’s intersection with Woodward Road.
On Oct. 22, 2014, a 67-year-old male resident of Marianne Manor was struck and killed by a vehicle as he attempted to cross Route 33 on foot, also near Woodward Road.