MAY 30, 2015
UPPER FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY
A New Jersey State Police trooper was killed and another was
injured early Saturday morning when their patrol vehicle struck a deer on Route
195, State Police said.
The 24-year-old man, whose name has not yet been released,
was driving east on Route 195 while on patrol when his Ford Crown Victoria
struck a deer and ran off the right side of the road into some trees at about
12:48 a.m., State Police said in a
news release.
The driver was transported to CentraState Hospital in
Freehold where he was pronounced dead, State Police said.
The other occupant of the vehicle — Trooper Gene Hong,
29 — was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton where he
was treated for lacerations and a neck injury. As of 6 a.m., State Police said
he's expected to be released "soon."
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Both troopers were assigned to Hamilton Station and on duty
at the time of the accident, State Police said.
According to State Police, the last line of duty death for
the New Jersey State Police was James Hoopes in 2012. The last traffic-related
death, they said, was Trooper Marc Castellano, who was struck by a car while
outside of his vehicle on Route 195 in Sept. 2010.
Hong was released Saturday morning.
Jones said the deceased trooper will be identified later Saturday.
Jones said the deceased trooper will be identified later Saturday.