3 Dead In Crash On NJ Turnpike

Tractor-Trailer, Vehicle Collide

HIGHTSTOWN, N.J. -- A couple from Florida in their 20s and their 1-year-old child were killed in a fiery crash Friday when a tractor-trailer hit their car on the New Jersey Turnpike, police said.

Both vehicles burst into flames after the 7:50 a.m. crash in the northbound lanes in East Windsor Township.

Police said the car was hit when it abruptly veered from the left lane toward the exit ramp at Exit 8. The truck, which was in the right lane, hit the car's right side and shoved it into the median barrier.

The truck driver, Jose Amaya, 37, climbed out of the vehicle before it burst into flames and was not injured.

The victims were declared dead at the scene by the Mercer County Medical Examiner's Office. The adults were both in their 20s, Jones said. Their names were not released pending family notification.

The crash backed up traffic for several hours. The road was reopened by 2:30 p.m., Jones said.

Amaya is a driver for CTX Freight Line of Langhorne, Pa., Jones said.

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