Toms River police rally around a young brother in blue whose life hangs in the balance of a series of surgeries, following a crash on the Garden State Parkway in the earliest hour of this past Wednesday. A crowdfunding effort is under way to assist his family.

Toms River Police Officer Brett Hansen (Toms River PD)
Toms River Police Officer Brett Hansen (Toms River PD)
loading...

According to New Jersey State Police, Officer Brett Hansen was off-duty, in his 2012 Dodge Avenger, heading north.

At about 1:04 AM, near mile marker 90.5 in Brick, his car hit the back of a northbound tractor-trailer in the right lane, then careened off the right side of the highway and into a guard rail.

State police said that the investigation is ongoing, and offered no details regarding speed, lighting and road surface conditions, visibility or other driving impediments, or identity of the trucker and the owner of the semi.

Anticipating an extensive recovery time, Toms River police created a crowdfunding site to help Hansen and his family bear mounting medical costs. Contributors can also send donations by overland mail to:

Brett Hansen Fund

Toms River PBA #137

P.O. Box 5011

Toms River, NJ 08754

More From 94.3 The Point