Bystanders Pull Driver From Flipped Car on Route 22 in Mountainside

A driver crashed into a pole and flipped into a ditch along Route 22 in Mountainside early Friday morning, and it was nearby strangers, not first responders, who pulled the person from the wreck. The crash happened around 7:30 a.m. and left the driver, who was alone in the vehicle, with airbag-related injuries before being taken to a hospital.

According to News 12 New Jersey, Mountainside police say the vehicle crashed into a pole before flipping into a ditch. Bystanders reached the driver and pulled them from the overturned car before emergency crews arrived on scene. Police have since issued multiple summonses to the driver, though the specific violations have not been detailed publicly.

A Corridor With a History of Bystanders Stepping In

This is not the first time people passing by a wreck on Route 22 have acted before paramedics could reach the scene. In March 2025, a 32-year-old cyclist was killed near Springfield Avenue in Union Township after becoming trapped beneath a vehicle, and bystanders at that scene manually lifted the car in an attempt to free him, according to Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq. That cyclist was later transported to University Hospital but did not survive his injuries.

The same law firm's data places those incidents inside a broader statewide pattern: New Jersey bicycle fatalities hit a 30-year peak of 26 in 2021, before falling to 16 in 2022 and rising again to 24 in 2023. Route 22 is a heavily trafficked corridor with commercial driveways. According to the New Jersey Department of Labor, New Jersey saw a 14 percent increase in traffic deaths in 2024, marking a 30-year high for pedestrian fatalities.

Route 22 Through Mountainside

Route 22 runs through Mountainside and extends toward Newark.

It remains unclear exactly which violations were cited in Friday's summonses.

After a Fatal Crash

A fatal Route 22 crash was reported on August 6.

Local automotive appraisal analysis from Auto Value Claims says Route 22 corridors generate the highest concentration of collision-related diminished-value claims and calls Route 22 the county's busiest commercial corridor, pointing to frequent rear-end crashes at signalized intersections and parking-lot exits as recurring hazards along the highway network that also connects to I-78 and the Garden State Parkway.