The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating a three-car crash that left a mother dead and her children injured.

The crash happened Thursday around 5 p.m. near Siloam and Old Turkey Swamp roads in Freehold.

Officials say that a Ford 350 pickup truck driven by a 53-year-old Little Egg Harbor man collided with an SUV and then struck a Chrysler Pacifica minivan head-on.

That minivan was driven by a 42-year-old Ocean Township woman who had her three children in the car. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 3-year-old was taken to Jersey Shore Regional Medical Center by helicopter. She is listed in critical condition. The other two children, a 9-year-old and 13-year-old, were taken to Jersey Shore Regional by ambulance. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The circumstances surrounding the crash are under investigation.