Pedestrian Struck, Critically Injured Crossing Route 37 at Midnight

A pedestrian crossing Route 37 at Oak Ridge Parkway was struck by a vehicle driving west on the state road, amid foggy conditions around midnight.

Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said a 21 year-old Lakehurst woman, Brittany Bond,  was driving a 2009 Hyundai westbound on Route 37 and hit 54-year-old Nachatta Singh, of Toms River, who was crossing north to south at Oak Ridge Parkway at 12:10 a.m. on Saturday, June 25.

Left lanes of both east and westbound Route 37 were closed as police investigated the accident, which sent Singh to the Jersey Shore Medical Center's Trauma unit in Neptune.  Singh was listed in critical condition after being admitted to the hospital. 

Traffic Safety Officer Eugene Bachonski is investigating the accident.Traffic was steered into the right hand lane and shoulder near the intersection, where Route 527 meets Route 37 near the Wawa and 7-11 convenience stores.Onkar Singh was working at the 7-11 when he heard the crash. He said he ran to the intersection and saw the victim laying face down in the road.“It was loud. At first I thought a car had hit another car,” Singh said. “By the time I had run out there and checked his pulse someone was already yelling they had called 911.”