New Jersey State Police officials are investigating the cause of a crash that killed two people on a highway in Essex County Friday afternoon.
NJ State Police said the crash occurred at 4:13 pm in the southbound lanes on the NJ Turnpike western spur at MP 107.1 in Newark.
State Police official said a preliminary investigation revealed that a Toyota Prius traveled off the right side of the road and struck the guardrail.
Police say the Toyota crossed the travel lanes and struck the center concrete barrier.
The crash resulted in fatal injuries to both occupants. One of the victims was identified as Seyed Tarighati, 69, of Yonkers, NY, but police would not release the identity of the rear right passenger until a next of kin was notified.
According to NJ State Police, the left two lanes were closed for approximately three hours resulting in heavy traffic.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.