By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is participating in the investigation of a three-vehicle crash in Freehold Township that left three people seriously injured.
The investigation of the crash was initiated by the Freehold Township Police Department. Due to the seriousness of the collision, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office joined the investigation.
According to Charles Webster, public information officer for the prosecutor’s office, Freehold Township police responded to a report of a motor vehicle collision on Route 9 at the intersection of Business Route 33 just after 3 p.m. Jan. 22.
Webster said an investigation determined that Carlos W. Martinez, 24, of Bristol, Pa., was driving southbound on Route 9 in a Nissan Maxima when he collided with a Nissan Rogue being driven by a 40-year-old Monroe Township man. The Monroe Township man’s 3-year-old daughter was in a car seat in the rear seat.
After the initial collision, the Monroe Township man’s vehicle collided with a Ford F350 pickup truck being driven by a 19-year-old Freehold Borough man. A 44-year-old Freehold Borough man was in the pickup truck’s front passenger seat, according to Webster.
As a result of the collision, Martinez and the two occupants of the Nissan Rogue (the father and daughter) were taken by ambulance to CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, according to Webster.
All three individuals were later transferred to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center, New Brunswick, with what were described as serious injuries.
According to Webster, the two occupants of the pickup truck were not injured in the crash. Martinez was the only individual Webster identified by name. As of Feb. 13, the case is still under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective William Ketelaar of the Freehold Township Police Department at 732-294-5144 or Detective Kristian DeVito of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-431-7160.