Township Man Killed, Two Injured in Early Morning Route 70 Crash

A township man was killed and two others were injured in an early morning head-on collision on Route 70 Wednesday. 

Manchester resident Edward Strungis, 60, was killed when the Lexus IS300 he was driving westbound on Route 70 crossed into the opposing lane of traffic near Leisure Village West at about 1:08 a.m. Wednesday and struck another vehicle, said Capt. Lisa Parker in a statement.

Strungis was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Parker said. 

The other car, a Nissan Altima, was driven by 77-year-old Sylvia M. Panza of Manchester. Both Panza and her passenger, 71-year-old Lemig B. Valdemara of Indialantic, Fla., were wearing restraints and were taken by helicopter to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, Parker said.

Panza suffered "severe trauma to the legs and chest," Parker said. She and Valdemara are listed in critical condition.

Patrolmen Ian Bole and Antonio Ellis from the police department's Traffic Safety Section are investigating the crash, Parker said.

Also responding to the scene were the Manchester and Ridgeway volunteer fire departments, paramedics from MONOC, Quality Medical Transport and the Manchester Volunteer First Aid Squad. The Ocean County Criminalistic Investigation Unit and Medical Examiner's Office, and the New Jersey Department of Transportation Diversionary Team were also at the scene, Parker said.

A number of serious head-on collisions have occurred on Route 70 recently. Six people were injured in a  last September on the highway near Washington Avenue. One month later,  and injured four. In December,  after a head-on crash near Beckerville Road. Most recently, a head-on crash at the Route 70/571 intersection  with critical injuries.