Around 12:40 a.m. Sunday, on the southern stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike near milepost 1.3 in Carneys Point Township, a devastating crash claimed the lives of four young men in their late teens. What began as a catastrophic wrong-way collision between a Dodge pickup and a Mazda SUV quickly escalated when a tractor-trailer rammed into the wreckage.
The driver of the Dodge, later identified as 41-year-old Christopher Neff of Westminster, Colorado, was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes when he collided head-on with the southbound Mazda. The Mazda, carrying Yaakov Kilberg (19, Lakewood, NJ) and three teenage passengers, was pushed across lanes into the path of a Freightliner tractor-trailer. The truck could not avoid the impact.
Kilberg and his passengers Aharon Lebovits (18, Lakewood, NJ), Shlomo Cohen (18, Lakewood, NJ), and Chaim Grossman (18, Fallsburg, NY) were all declared dead. Authorities said they died from injuries sustained in the collision. The driver of the tractor-trailer miraculously escaped without injury. Neff was seriously hurt and remains hospitalized, though no recent updates on his condition had been released by Monday morning.
State and local police shut down all lanes at the crash site for hours, as first responders and investigation teams combed the scene. The New Jersey State Police said the cause remains under investigation, and no charges have been filed yet.
In a statement, Carneys Point Fire & Rescue thanked all participating EMS, rescue squads, fire companies, and supporting teams for their swift and professional response to the tragedy. Their thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of all involved.
This heartbreaking crash has sent shockwaves through Lakewood and beyond. Residents and community leaders are mourning not just for four promising young lives cut short, but for families suddenly forced to face unimaginable loss. As investigators work to reconstruct the timeline and causes, many questions remain unanswered—and many hearts, shattered.