Lakewood couple, their unborn child killed in crash with snowplow on Garden State Parkway
TINTON FALLS−A Toyota SUV carrying a Lakewood couple and their unborn child struck a snowplow on the Garden State Parkway Monday night, killing all three, authorities and Lakewood community members said.
The collision occurred at 8 p.m. in the northbound lanes of the Parkway at milepost 104.2 in the borough.
The couple was identified as Eliyahu Neydavoud, 29, and Raizel Rothernberg, 30.
The couple had just recently gotten married and Rothernberg was due to deliver her first child soon, said Menashe Miller, deputy mayor of Lakewood.
A funeral was moved Tuesday from a funeral home to the Lakewood High School gym because of the oversize crowd, estimated to be nearly 1,000 people, Miller said.
"Despite the inclement weather, the number of people that turned out was unbelievable," he said. "They were well known in Lakewood."
Neydavoud worked as a teacher in a local school, Miller said.
According to a preliminary investigation, an International snowplow truck and the Toyota were both in the northbound lanes when the snowplow tried to enter an emergency vehicle U-turn area, the New Jersey State Police said. Neydavoud, who was driving the SUV, lost control, and the vehicle hit the side of the International truck, state police said.
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The state police did not release the name of the snow plow driver or whether he was injured, nor did they provide additional information about the victims, saying the crash was still being investigated.
It was unclear how the falling snow Monday night might have affected the crash.
The first snow flurries in the area arrived about 4:30 p.m. and remained light for the next few hours. The snow started falling more heavily about 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.
Ken Serrano covers breaking news, crime and investigations. Reach him at 732-643-4029 or at kserrano@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood NJ couple and their unborn child die in crash with snowplow
