A two vehicle crash in Lakewood involving a SUV driven by a man with a suspended license injures 15 people including 5 critically.

Vehicles involved in Lakewood accident that injured over a dozen people
Vehicles involved in Lakewood accident that injured over a dozen people (TheLakewoodScoop.com)
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Township police say a passenger van and an SUV collided at the intersection of Pine Street and New Hampshire Avenue at around 7:15 Tuesday night.

The driver of the SUV, Jorge Castillo-Perez, had  a suspended license and was in the United States illegally.
Lakewood Police Chief Lawson told TheLakewoodScoop.com,  “The driver, a Hispanic male who was released from the hospital, was charged with operating a vehicle with a suspended license. Bail was set at $1,000 and he is being detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who could extradite him."

He  was also charged with being involved in a crash involving serious bodily injury. Lakewood Police say Castillo-Perez was previously ticketed for driving without a license.

WNBC TV reports the van was filled with employees of a company that had dropped off Enterprise Car Rental vehicles in Lakewood and were being taken by van back to Newark.

One of the passengers was airlifted to the Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune and is listed in critical condition. Three others were transported to area hospitals due to foggy conditions.

"We have a lot of major highways, we have serious accidents. But this one's very serious," Lakewood police officer Erik Menck told WNBC TV.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

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