OLD BRIDGE, NJ—There have been multiple deadly crashes on Route 9 in Old Bridge in recent weeks, including one that took the life of a pedestrian that police are still trying to identify.

The first took place on April 3 when Miguel Reis, a 22-year-old Old Bridge resident, was killed after his BMW rear-ended a tractor trailer that stopped for a red light on Route 9 South at Ferry Road at around 3:40 a.m. that morning.

Reis was an an athlete with the NJFC soccer club, within the UPSL Premier Division.

Miguel Reis passed away after a crash on Route 9.

On the team’s Instagram, they wrote, “Miguel was there for the first season of NJFC which made him family forever. Fly high and watch over us! We love you.”

Friends and teammates have been contributing funds to support Reis’ family during this difficult time.

Reis, a technician for Pro-Fire Mechanical, was born in Aveiro, Portugal, to Zeferino Miguel Reis and Eliana Picado.

Reis and his brother, Nathan Picado Reis, moved to the U.S. in 2002, settled in Elizabeth and then Hillside before moving to Old Bridge six months ago.

Old Bridge Police said that the impact caused Reis to cross into the northbound lanes of Route 9.

Reis, who was alone in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver didn’t suffer any injuries.

Ferry Road was closed for about four hours for an investigation.

This was the first fatal crash on Route 9 in Middlesex County in 2021, according to State Police fatal accident statistics. 

In 2020, there were six fatal crashes in Old Bridge and three of those happened on Route 9.

Another deadly crash occurred on Route 9 North when a pedestrian was struck and killed on April 20 at 10:33 p.m. in front of a McDonald’s restaurant about 200 yards north of Meleta Way overpass.

The vehicle involved was a 2008 Toyota Highlander, who struck the man while traveling Route 9 North in the middle lane.

According to Acting Chief of Police Joe Mandola, the man didn’t have any identification on him and every attempt is being made to find out who this man is. He appears to be between 40-50 years old and of Hispanic descent.

Multiple witnesses stopped at the scene to assist.

Route 9 Northbound was closed for approximately three and a half hours for the accident investigation.

Two days later, on April 22, a State Police vehicle was involved in a crash that sent two people to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to the Asbury Park Press. That crash occurred near the intersection of Route 9 and Route 33.

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Local Editor at New Brunswick Today | hcafarella@nb.today

Haley Cafarella is a passionate journalist and content developer. She is currently creating content for IFPG, a franchise broker network, and writes articles for its franchise news site, FranchiseWire. In addition to contributing to New Brunswick Today, the Rutgers University journalism graduate has also written for The Buttonwood Tree, the Trenton Monitor, and Quo Vadis, Middlesex College's student newspaper.

Haley Cafarella is a passionate journalist and content developer. She is currently creating content for IFPG, a franchise broker network, and writes articles for its franchise news site, FranchiseWire. In addition to contributing to New Brunswick Today, the Rutgers University journalism graduate has also written for The Buttonwood Tree, the Trenton Monitor, and Quo Vadis, Middlesex College's student newspaper.