LINDEN — On Oct. 5, at 10:53 a.m., police received several 9-1-1- calls of a serious car accident at the Hess gas station 731 E. Edgar Rd. (Routes 1&9). A preliminary investigation revealed that an Acura compact vehicle occupied by 5 persons was travelling south on Routes 1&9 when the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle. The car struck a curb and then slammed into a utility pole knocking it over.
The Acura then entered the gas station property striking the rear of a vehicle as it was entering the station. The force then pushed that vehicle into a second vehicle in the process of filling with fuel. The force also knocked one gas pump over allowing fuel to spill onto the ground. An attendant at the station was able to shut down the flow of fuel utilizing the emergency switch.
The Acura ended up on its roof when it stopped moving. Officers arriving at the scene found one of the Acura’s occupants, a young adult female, on the ground, in apparent critical condition. The female, along with the other four occupants of the Acura, were taken to University Hospital in Newark by ambulance.
A man and a woman who were in the other two vehicles that were struck, were taken to Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway. No other information on the victims is known at this time.
The Linden Police Accident Investigation Unit is conducting an active investigation at this time. Also on scene assisting was the Linden Fire Department and the Union County HazMat Unit. All southbound lanes of Routes 1&9 were closed at Willow Glade Road. The NJ State Police and Port Authority of NY & NJ Police were also notified to stop the traffic flow travelling onto Route 278 West from the NJ Turnpike.