5 People, Including Toddler, Killed In Crash On Route 3 In Rutherford, N.J.
RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - Five people, including a toddler, were killed in a crash last night in Rutherford, New Jersey.
Fire crews and emergency vehicles surround what appears to be an SUV with its front end completely demolished, reports CBS2's Kiran Dhillon.
Police said an SUV ran into a construction vehicle around 11 p.m. where Route 17 south merges onto Route 3 west.
Police said the SUV rear-ended a large construction vehicle that was operating on a nearby state-led construction project. Everyone inside the vehicle - three women, one man and one little boy - were killed.
The adults were all pronounced dead on the scene, but the child died a few hours later at Hackensack University Medical Center. Police said he appeared to be in a booster seat at the time of the crash.
"It's unfortunate, devastating scene for everyone down there, firefighters, police officers - sad," said Rutherford Police Chief John Russo. "It's sad, not just for the child, five individuals lost their lives. It hits you hard."
A worker inside the construction vehicle was not seriously injured.
The cause of the wreck is under investigation, and the victims' names have not been released pending proper identification of the deceased and notification of next of kin.
"Our initial thoughts are probably nothing criminal about this, probably just going to be a tragic accident," said Russo. "It really was just a devastating scene. Really sad."
A GoFundMe has been established to help the family pay for funeral expenses. To contribute, click here.
