The driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee is facing multiple charges, including two counts of vehicular manslaughter, after his SUV crashed head-on into a Nissan Maxima sedan on Route 31 on Feb. 11, according to the Hopewell Township Police Department.
The crash, which was reported at 10:48 p.m., killed the 59-year-old driver of the sedan and a front-seat passenger. Two rear-seat passengers were injured, police said. The four victims live in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The driver of the sedan died at the scene, police said.
The front passenger, a 13-year-old boy, initially was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, police said. He was later flown to Cooper University Medical Center, where he died.
The two rear-seat passengers were taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Langhorne, Pa. The two women, ages 32 and 35, are in serious but stable condition, police said.
The 32-year-old driver of the Jeep, who lives in Ewing Township, was treated and released for minor injuries at Capital Health Regional Medical Center. He is being held at the Mercer County Correction Center.
The Jeep was traveling south on Route 31 when the driver attempted to pass two vehicles in a no-passing zone between Woosamonsa Road and Yard Road, police said.
As the Jeep driver began to pass the two vehicles in the southbound lane, his vehicle struck the Nissan Maxima, which was traveling north on Route 31, police said.
The crash is under investigation by the Hopewell Township Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to contact Hopewell Township police Detective Christopher Collins at (609) 737-3100, ext. 5790.