Pedestrian Struck by Car in Pelican Island Dies of Injuries

A 21-year-old Lanoka Harbor woman has died of injuries she received after being struck by a car near the during the early morning hours of May 7, Berkeley police Capt. Christian Roth said.

Heather Aurora died at 5:16 a.m. May 8 at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, he said.

Aurora was hit by a car driven by Robert Benezio of Lavallette, at the intersection of Route 37 East, between Catalina and Prince Edward drives at 4:50 a.m. on Saturday. Benezio was traveling eastbound in the fast lane when the accident occurred, Roth said.

Aurora was on her cell phone talking to a friend who was stopped at the light to pick her up when she was struck. The friend witnessed the accident, Roth said.

Aurora was thrown into the westbound lane by the impact. She was airlifted by New Jersey State Police to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where she died the next day. She was an organ donor, Roth said.

No charges have been filed. A blood alcohol test administered to Benezio was negative, Roth said.

The accident is under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office's Fatal Accident Response Team, he said.