A tragedy was averted on an Ocean County road last weekend when a wrong-way driver slammed into an oncoming car.

Another motorist on Route 70 saw what happened and initially blocked the wrong-way driver and then held him down as he tried to drive away.

Officials say calls to 911 alerting police that a wrong-way driver was on a collision course with oncoming traffic on Route 70 began pouring into dispatch just before 1 a.m. Saturday. That’s when the alleged drunk driver came into the view of Paul Williams, who was heading home to Toms River from River Rock after a photo shoot.

“The light turns green and as I’m entering the intersection, this bright light now I know is headlights and heading in the wrong direction,” said Williams.

His rearview camera captured the impact of the wrong-way driver into an Uber carrying Brittney Murphy and Anthony Uculano home from a concert.

“I can’t believe that this just happened and there may be some dead people there,” said Williams.

He says he swung his car around and blocked the wrong-way driver from traveling down Route 70. What Williams saw next made him jump into action.

“He appeared to be trying to restart the vehicle, put it in gear as if to leave, and I just made a decision [that] he’s not leaving,” said Williams.

Williams says he pulled the driver out of the car and put him on the ground until the police arrived.

“I did happen to notice in the backseat of this person’s vehicle there was a large case of mostly empty Corona bottles," he said.

Officials say Murphy and Uculano were shaken but uninjured. The Uber driver went to the hospital and was released.

This crash came just weeks after the community was left shattered by other tragic incidents. Williams says he wasn’t about to let that happen again.

“Had I just continued on my way like some other drivers did and something terrible and devastating happened after that would not have sat well with me,” Williams says.

The wrong-way driver is now facing charges of DUI and assault by auto.