3 people dead, 3 others injured after overnight crash in Jersey City
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- A crash killed three people and left three others injured overnight in Jersey City.
Safety advocates said more can be done to prevent future crashes.
In the early morning aftermath, two cars were left mangled on the curvy, downhill Paterson Plank Road leading from Jersey City to Hoboken.
- Read more: New Jersey family grieving over 26-year-old Dylan Weidenfeld's death in Jersey City crash
People who drive the road often said crashes there are frequent, and speed is usually a factor.
"I tell people this is combat driving around here. This is very, very dangerous. Cars are too fast, they're too powerful. Kids drive too fast," Union City resident Jay Schlesinger said. "It doesn't surprise me... I woke up this morning, heard the helicopters and knew something was up."
The crash happened just after midnight. Police said a BMW SUV collided head-on with a Kia sedan.
The driver of the sedan, 26-year-old Dylan Weidenfeld, was killed.
Update: the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit is investigating a two car collision, in which three people died and three others were injured. Please continue to avoid Paterson Plank Road between Jersey City and Hoboken through the morning commute. https://t.co/thnvssFjsQ
— ProsecutorSuarezHCPO (@HCPOProsecutor) October 16, 2023
There were five people in the BMW. Two of those passengers were killed. The other three people in the SUV were taken to the hospital. One had critical injuries.
Police have not released a possible cause of the crash.
Paterson Plank Road - a county road - reopened hours later.
An official with Hudson County said some safety improvements have recently been added, including rumble strips. The county is also looking at potentially a median in the middle.
"Insufficient safety improvements were made to address the hundreds of crashes that have been recorded on this corridor in the last few years," Emmanuelle Morgen of Hudson County Complete Streets said.
Morgen, a safe streets advocate, said the stretch of road was identified in a recent study as having a higher rate of crashes than other Hudson County roads.
"This is, sadly, another wake-up call. And we're awake," Morgen said.
"Narrowing the lanes is a way to get drivers to be more careful behind the wheel. And when you do that, you can also add in other safety improvements, like bike lanes, perhaps wider sidewalks," Colin DeVries of Safe Streets Jersey City said.
Advocates said it's time for a complete safety redesign of the road.
Police said the investigation is ongoing.
Longtime residents told CBS New York's Nick Caloway speed is a major problem along this stretch of road.
"I tell people this is combat driving around here. This is very, very dangerous. Cars are too fast, they're too powerful. Kids drive too fast," Union City resident Jay Schlesinger said. "It doesn't surprise me... I woke up this morning, heard the helicopters and knew something was up."
Safety advocates say this stretch is in desperate need of a redesign.