Two people were killed and three others were injured in a fiery multivehicle crash on Interstate 80 in Hackensack that snarled traffic for hours on Wednesday.
The roadway was shut down for hours following the midnight crash as crews repaired the center median in the express lanes. The highway has since fully reopened.
Officials say the vehicles involved in the crash include a Toyota SUV, a Volvo tractor-trailer, an Isuzu box truck and a GMC SUV. State police say the Toyota struck the curbed median near Milepost 66.6, entered the express lanes and hit the tractor-trailer.
Watch footage from Chopper 12 below:
As a result, the tractor-trailer struck the center concrete median and entered the I-80 westbound express lanes. The tractor-trailer then hit the box truck, causing the box truck to enter the I-80 westbound local lanes and ignite into flames. The SUV then collided with the Volvo tractor-trailer.
Police say the driver and passenger of the box truck sustained fatal injuries. They say the identities of the driver and passenger are pending confirmation.
The driver of the Volvo tractor-trailer, a 63-year-old male from Temple, Texas, and the passenger, a 60-year-old male from Killeen, Texas, suffered serious injuries and were transported to a hospital, police say. The driver and passenger of the GMC sustained minor injuries.
There were no other reported injuries.