Crime & Safety
Lakehurst Accident Victim Discharged from Hospital; Crash Under Investigation
Lakehurst woman collided with utility pole in Ridgeway section of Manchester last week
A last week has been discharged from the hospital. Police continue to work to determine the official cause of the crash.
Nicole Ientile, 23, of Lakehurst, who last week crashed into a utility pole in the Ridgeway section of Manchester, has been discharged from Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, said Public Relations Manager Robert Cavanaugh.
Ientile was admitted to the hospital on March 2 in stable condition with head and shoulder injuries following the 3 a.m. crash, Manchester police reported. She was airlifted to the hospital by MONOC paramedics after her car collided with a guardrail and struck a utility pole.
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According to Manchester Police Traffic Safety Officer Douglas Higgins, the official cause of the crash remains under investigation, though the vehicle's speed appears to be the contributing factor.
Photos of the crash released by police show Ientile's Chevy Impala nearly split in two after colliding with the pole on County Route 571 near the intersection of Renaissance Boulevard. No other vehicles were involved.
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The intrusion from the telephone pole was mostly on the passenger side of the vehicle, which, according to Higgins, could be the reason the driver did not sustain life-threatening injuries.
A toxicology report is not yet available. That information will be released through the Ocean County Prosecutors Office when it becomes available, police said.
A new utility pole has replaced the shattered pole. Crews were seen working at the site on the afternoon following the crash. Broken glass and spray paint markings made by police are visible at the site.
A portion of the roadway was closed for about three hours following the crash, police reported.
According to police, members of the Ridgeway and Manchester Volunteer Fire Departments, Manchester First Aid Squad and the Ocean County Criminalistics Unit responded to the scene.
Manchester Police Patrolmen Antonio Ellis and Paul Bachovchin are investigating the crash.
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