A 27-year-old Philadelphia man is facing two counts of third-degree assault by auto after his SUV allegedly crossed into oncoming traffic on Route 539 in Lacey Township, slamming head-on into another vehicle and leaving two people seriously injured. Jared Beswick was served with the charges by complaint-warrant while he was hospitalized at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
According to RLS Media, the crash happened Sunday near mile marker 16.5 on Route 539, when Beswick was driving a Ford Explorer northbound and it crossed into the southbound lane, colliding head-on with a Toyota RAV4. Both the RAV4's driver and Beswick's passenger were rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, and both were listed in serious but stable condition, per the same account. That hospital is the only one in New Jersey verified as both an Adult Level I Trauma Center and a Pediatric Level I Trauma Center, according to Hackensack Meridian Health.
Blood Draw Ordered After Officers Cite Signs of Impairment
Officers who responded to the scene allegedly observed signs of possible impairment in Beswick and reported finding open alcohol containers along with pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes inside the Explorer, per prosecutors' account relayed by RLS Media. Investigators then obtained a court-authorized warrant to draw Beswick's blood at Southern Ocean Medical Center, according to Patch. Toxicology results remain pending as the investigation continues.
The case is being investigated jointly by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, the Lacey Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, a deployment reserved for serious crashes involving suspected criminal negligence or severe injuries, per the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.
No Bail Under New Jersey's Reform Law
Because the charges were filed by complaint-warrant rather than summons, Beswick is expected to be lodged in the Ocean County Jail once he is released from the hospital, where he will await a formal pretrial detention hearing instead of being assigned cash bail. Under New Jersey's Criminal Justice Reform Act, the state eliminated traditional monetary bail in 2017 in favor of a risk-based assessment system, according to William Proetta Criminal Law.
If convicted, Beswick faces steep penalties. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(c), driving under the influence that causes serious bodily injury elevates assault by auto to a third-degree crime, carrying 3 to 5 years in state prison and fines up to $15,000 per count, per the Law Office of Anthony J. Vecchio. As with any criminal charge, Beswick is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
A Highway With a Troubled History
The crash adds to a grim record for Route 539, a two-lane rural highway running through Ocean County's Pine Barrens that local and county officials have long flagged as one of the county's most dangerous corridors, largely due to high travel speeds and undivided lanes, according to Jersey Shore Online. Head-on collisions along the highway have repeatedly turned deadly, including a March crash in neighboring Plumsted Township where an SUV veered into oncoming traffic and killed three people, per Shore News Network.
In response to the corridor's history, the Ocean County Sheriff's Office and 11 municipal police departments, including Lacey Township, take part in a multi-jurisdictional traffic enforcement detail along Route 539 funded by the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, aimed at curbing impaired and erratic driving, according to Ocean County government records. Whether that enforcement effort will factor into the ongoing investigation remains to be seen as the vehicular homicide squad works to finalize its findings.
