JACKSON — Authorities have identified the two men who died after a sport utility vehicle struck a tree and caught fire in the township early February 15.
Police said Denis Ricardo Zelaya Zapata, 29, of Toms River, was behind the wheel of a 2023 Toyota Highlander traveling on Hyson Road shortly before 12:08 a.m. His passenger was Edwin Ramon Montolla Padilla, 36, of Paterson.
According to police, officers were first dispatched after receiving a 911 report of a transformer down in the roadway on Hyson Road. Additional calls soon followed reporting a crash in the same area.
When officers arrived, they found the SUV fully engulfed in flames. Attempts to reach the occupants were unsuccessful due to the intensity of the fire, authorities said. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene after firefighters extinguished the blaze.
The crash remains under investigation by the Jackson Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit. Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Matthew Kalbach at 732-928-1111.
