FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – No charges had been filed as of June 16 in the aftermath of a June 4 motor vehicle collision that has now claimed the lives of three people.
Charles Webster, a spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed that no charges had been filed as of 12 days after the fatal crash.
The collision occurred at about 6:48 p.m. June 4 in an eastbound lane of Route 537 near the intersection of Wemrock Road/Stillwells Corner Road, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
Gramiccioni said a 2005 Dodge Caravan driven by Joseph Stasik, 55, of North Brunswick, was stopped at a red light in the right lane of Route 537 when a 2012 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck driven by Austin Janowski, 19, of Freehold Township, struck the rear of the minivan.
Antoinette Gallina, 85, of Cliffside Park, became the third person to die as a result of the collision when she passed away on June 10. Gallina was the Caravan’s front passenger. She was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, on the night of the collision.
Two other passengers in the Caravan, Michael Guglielmelli, 81, and Dolores Guglielmelli, 87, both also of Cliffside Park, died on the night of the collision from injuries they sustained in the crash, according to the prosecutor.
A fourth passenger in the Caravan, Helen Gallina-Deluca, 54, of Freehold Township, was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. She remained hospitalized as of June 13.
Representatives of St. Francis Church, Hoboken, identified Michael Guglielmelli as a former pastor at the church, Dolores Guglielmelli and Antoinette “Shirley” Gallina as his sisters, and Helen Gallina-Deluca as his niece.
“We have all endured a tremendous loss with the passing of Father Michael and his sisters, Dolores and Shirley,” Father Chris Panlilio, St. Francis’ pastor, wrote in a statement on the church’s website. “We ask that you all continue to pray for the recovery of his niece, Helen. May we all find solace in having known Father Michael and his loving family.”
Stasik, the driver of the Caravan, was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center where he was treated and released.
Janowski, who was the only occupant of the Honda, was treated and released after sustaining a minor arm injury.
The collision remains under investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team and the Freehold Township Police Department.