NJ Turnpike pileup in Cranbury, NJ leaves at least one dead, 40 injured

A massive pileup on the New Jersey Turnpike Monday night left at least one person dead and more than 40 others injured, officials said.

The chain-reaction smashup happened at about 9:15 p.m. in the southbound lanes near milepost 71.3 in Cranbury. The truck lanes remained closed until 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

A jack-knifed tractor trailer set the collisions in motion and the incident is being linked to hazardous road conditions reported throughout the metro areas. The wet snow and freezing rain that fell turned into an icy glaze in areas in the below-freezing night air.

On its Facebook page, the New Jersey State Police reported: “At this time, there is one confirmed fatality. There are approximately 15-plus vehicles involved including four tractor-trailers, two box trucks, a fully-loaded bus and multiple cars.”

NJ.com reporter Brian Donohue noted that, considering the wintry mess outside, motorists still seemed to be barreling down the Turnpike.

“Not sure if it was factor in Turnpike crash but I was aghast at how drivers were not slowing down on icy roads last night,” he tweeted.

The Turnpike Authority reported having salting trucks out in full force at the time.