The New Jersey State Police is investigating a triple- fatal crash that occurred in the northbound lanes of Interstate 287 in Bernards Township late last night.
Based on the preliminary investigation, detectives determined that Troy Chase, 43, of Pittston, M.E., was driving a 2003 Dodge Ram truck with passenger Peter Poland northbound on Interstate 287. In the area of milepost 29.1, Chase stopped on the right shoulder in order to repair a cattle trailer that he was towing.
At approximately 10:32 p.m., Ravi Naik, 23, of Hillsborough, was driving a 2013 Hyundai Elantra when he struck the cattle trailer that was disabled in the right shoulder. After the collision, Naik parked on the right shoulder and exited his vehicle.
Xu Feng Ma, the driver of a 2003 Ford passenger van, was on the northbound of Interstate 287 with 12 passengers when he traveled onto the right shoulder, struck the guardrail, the cattle trailer, and then the Dodge truck. The van continued northbound on the right shoulder and struck pedestrian Ravi Naik before traveling across the northbound lanes and striking the left guardrail.
Troy Chase sustained minor injuries and was transported to Overlook Medical Center.
As a result of this crash, the following were fatalities:
• Ravi Naik (pedestrian) was pronounced deceased at 11:35 p.m., at Morristown Medical Center
• Passenger in van (next of kin yet to be notified) was pronounced deceased at the scene on Sunday, November 29, at 1:40 a.m.
• John Doe (passenger in van) was pronounced deceased at the scene on Sunday, November 29, at 1:40 a.m.
As a result of the crash, the following passengers in the Ford van sustained non-life-threatening injuries:
• Xu Feng Ma was transported to Morristown Medical Center
• Yupu Ma, 52, of Woodhaven, N.Y. was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital
• Erick Jiminez, 18, of Morristown, N.J., was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital
• Engleton Jiminez was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital
• Hwa Chieng, 64, of Flushing, N.Y., was transported to Morristown Medical Center
• Tao Qing Wu, 59, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was transported to Morristown Medical Center
• Duong Quoc, 54, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was transported to Morristown Medical Center
• Yoxeng Tan, 55, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital
• Huijo He, 55, of New York, N.Y., was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital
• Gudiel Jiminez, 18, of Morristown, N.J., was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital
• Kui Tung, 47, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital
This incident is currently under investigation, and there are no charges at this time.
No additional information will be immediately available at this time.