MANCHESTER — Two juveniles riding a minibike were involved in a collision with a minivan Wednesday evening in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester Township, police said.
Officers responded about 6:36 p.m. March 11 to the intersection of Commonwealth Boulevard and Pemberton Street after receiving a report of a crash involving a minivan and a minibike carrying two juvenile riders.
When officers arrived, they found a red minibike with minor damage in the westbound lane of Commonwealth Boulevard and a gray 2012 Toyota Sienna nearby with minor front-end damage, according to police.
Investigators said the gas-powered minibike was heading north on Pemberton Street with two juvenile girls riding tandem and neither wearing a helmet. Police said the minibike entered the intersection without stopping at a posted stop sign and was struck by the westbound Toyota Sienna in a right-angle collision.
Both juveniles were thrown from the minibike onto Commonwealth Boulevard, police said. Witnesses at the scene backed up the preliminary account of how the crash unfolded.
Police identified the minibike operator as a 14-year-old girl from Manchester Township. She reported an ankle injury but declined medical treatment at the scene. The 13-year-old passenger, also from Manchester Township, was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The driver of the Toyota, 36-year-old Rachel Lew of Lakewood, was not injured, police said. Two juvenile passengers inside the minivan also were not hurt.
Commonwealth Boulevard was shut down for about 30 minutes while officers investigated and cleared the roadway.
Manchester Township Emergency Medical Services, paramedics from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Hatzolah and Priced Rite Towing assisted at the scene.
Police said the investigation remains active. Failure to obey the stop sign appears to be the leading contributing factor, authorities said. Patrolman Anthony DeBlasio of the department’s Traffic Safety Unit is handling the investigation.
