Early morning accident leaves one dead

An early Sunday morning accident involving three vehicles on the Garden State Parkway resulted in the death of a 22-year-old man from Linden, said state police Trooper Jeff Flynn.Hector Gomez, 22, was driving south on the Parkway near milemarker 137.9 at 3:45 a.m. when his Toyota Celica was involved in an accident with a GMC and a Cadillac, said Flynn.While the accident remains under investigation, Flynn said Gomez was found in the roadway. He was taken to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead an hour later at 4:44 a.m.

The GMC's driver, Brittany Echevarria, 18, of Cranford, was taken to University Hospital by a medical helicopter.Jason Star, 37, of Asbury Park, who was driving the Cadillac, was taken to the same hospital by ambulance.
Both suffered non-life threatening injuries, Flynn said.