Crime & Safety

Toms River Woman Charged in Point Beach Car Accident

Injuries to three were not 'life threatening,' say police

A Toms River woman was issued a summons for allegedly failing to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Forman Avenue and Route 35 North in Point Beach, said Monday morning.

Maria Albuquerque, 64, of Toms River was driving a red Subaru Forrester west on Forman Avenue when she failed to stop at the intersection at Route 35 North said Detective Pat Petruzziello.

"Her vehicle collided with a Hyundai Tuscan operated by Douglas Mendez, 31, of Washington State," Petruzziello said. "Mendez was traveling on Route 35 North."

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Mendez was transported to Ocean Medical Center, Brick, and Albuquerque and her passenger were transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune with injuries that were not "life threatening," Petruzziello said.

Albuquerque was issued a summons by Officer Paschal Drew who investigated the accident.

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Petruzziello said the department usually does not give out names of passengers, so the name of Albuquerque's passenger was not available.

At the scene on Thursday, a man who identified himself as Didier Villagra, 31, of Belmar, said he had been a passenger in Mendez's car.

The Point Pleasant First Aid and Emergency Squad, with the help of the Point Beach Fire Department, removed the victims from their cars. Squad members treated victims at the scene and transported them to hospitals. Monoc Paramedics also responded.

Police had gotten the call at 4:08 p.m. Thursday and cleared the scene just after 5 p.m.

Villagra had said at the scene of the accident that the driver of the second car drove west on Forman, pass St. Peter's School, through a stop sign and into Route 35 and the car driven by his friend.

Villagra said, "I told Douglas, 'Wait, wait,' but he couldn't, they were too close."

He said Mendez is about 30 years old and lives in Spring Lake. As he spoke, members of the Point Pleasant First Aid and Emergency Squad were securing Douglas' neck in a type of neck brace and lifting him onto a stretcher and into an ambulance.

He said they were taking Douglas to Ocean Medical Center in Brick because his back hurt from the accident.

Squad members, assisted by the Point Beach Fire Department, removed the two occupants from the red car, onto stretchers and into a waiting ambulance.

Police were able to keep one lane of Route 35 North open while they worked the scene.


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