January 30, 2021

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ (SOMERSET)–Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor and Franklin Township Public Safety Director Quovella M. Spruill announce an ongoing investigation into a fatal motor vehicle crash. On January 29, 2021 at 9:22 PM the Franklin Township Police Department received a 9-1-1 call reporting that a motor vehicle had left the roadway and went into the canal near Suydam Road.

Police Officers, Firefighters, EMS Personnel and divers from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Emergency Response Team responded to the scene. After searching for approximately an hour, the vehicle was located with the assistance of the New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit. Divers entered the water and found the 17 year-old female driver from Kendall Park within the vehicle. She was transported to a local area trauma center where she was pronounced deceased.

The Franklin Township Police Department’s Traffic Safety Bureau and Detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department are conducting an investigation into the factors that contributed to this incident. The initial investigation revealed that the female driver was travelling southbound on Canal Road in a 2006 Jeep Commander when she left the roadway and entered the canal.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Sgt. James Raics at 732-873-5533 extension 3177 or at james.raics@franklinnj.gov.

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