JACKSON – A township woman died in a crash involving four vehicles in Florham Park on Saturday afternoon.
New Jersey State Police described the incident as a chain-reaction crash that caused the death of Stephanie Santora, 25, whose vehicle was struck by a truck pulling a utility trailer that was traveling in the left lane. Her vehicle struck a Toyota Rav4 which then hit a Jeep Grand Cherokee according to State Police.
The accident occurred around 12:20 p.m. on Route 24 in Florham Park. Police reported Santora’s car was struck by the tractor trailer near exit 7.
State Police Spokesman Sgt. Alejandro Goez said the Jackson woman’s vehicle, the Toyota and the Jeep each veered off the road to the left and struck a guardrail.
Santora’s vehicle caught fire and was fully engulfed at the scene. She sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. According to Goez, Santora’s car could not be identified at first.
The 32-year-old man driver of the tractor trailer and a 37-year-old woman who was driving the Jeep as well as a 50-year-old man each sustained minor injury. Santora’s passenger, a 26-year-old man, suffered more severe injuries.
The crash closed traffic in all eastbound lanes for about six hours starting near milepost 22. Cars were diverted into the westbound lanes of traffic, while commuters reported ramps from Route 287 were blocked onto Route 24.
Goez confirmed the accident remains under investigation.
