Driver killed after Acura crashes into tree on Parkway in Middletown

The driver of an Acura TSX was killed after the car left the northbound express lanes of the Garden State Parkway at milepost 112.5 at 5:44 a.m., police said.

The Middletown Fire Department extricated the driver, who was trapped when the car struck a tree in the center median, State Police Trooper Jeff Flynn said. A death pronouncement was made at 9:01 a.m. via electronic telemetry through paramedics at the scene, he said.

The driver will be identified once the next of kin are told, Flynn said.

There was a dense fog advisory in effect for the area at the time of the crash, but it is unclear if the crash was weather-related, officials said. Troopers investigating at the crash site noted there was debris from a dead deer in the roadway, but it was unclear if the driver swerved to avoid a deer.

The northbound express lanes were closed north of Exit 105 after the crash, and traffic was channeled to the local lanes, causing heavy delays for morning commuters. A 13-mile delay was reported by state officials at 7:46 a.m., with traffic backed up as far south as Exit 98. Delays stretched as far south as Exit 91, and traffic built up on nearby highways as well, according to some reports.

According to the webcams on 511nj.org, the express lanes have been reopened, and area traffic was heavy but moving at 9:30 a.m.