Four-car Pileup Injures Three On Southbound Garden State Parkway

Three people were injured Monday night in a four-vehicle accident on the Garden State Parkway south just north of the Manahawkin exit, a state police spokesman said.

Around 10 p.m., a Subaru Imprezza driven by Deborah McFadden, 56, of Little Egg Harbor, stalled in the far right lane near milepost 65 when it ran out of gas, said Lt. Stephen Jones of the New Jersey State Police.

McFadden and a passenger, Jeannette McCarthy, 75, of Coconut Creek, Fla., were able to get out of the car before it was struck from behind by a motorcycle driven by Timothy Shutt, 23, of Egg Harbor Township.

Shutt was ejected from the motorcycle, ultimately receiving only minor injuries, said Jones. 

An off-duty Little Egg Harbor police officer, Shawn Hancharuk, then arrived on the scene and helped McFadden and McCarthy out of the Subaru.

The two cars were then struck again by a Lincoln Town Car driven by Spencer Lane, 17, Jones said. A fourth car, a Ford Explorer driven by Julianne Fama, of unknown age and hometown, then hit the pileup, causing the Lincoln to burst into flames, he said. Lane was able to escape the vehicle before it caught fire, and neither he nor Fama were injured in the crash, Jones said.

Shutt was taken by ambulance to Southern Ocean Medical Center, where he was then airlifted to Atlantic City Medical Center as a precautionary measure, said Jones. McFadden and McCarthy were both treated and released from Southern Ocean Medical Center.

Jones said it’s important for drivers to remember that if your vehicle stalls in a lane of travel, you should turn on hazard lights immediately. When you can see no traffic coming, exit your car and get as far off the roadway onto the shoulder – not the median – as possible, and call for help.