On Saturday, July 31, 2021 at approximately 7:38 pm, officers from the Manchester Township Police Department responded to the area of Beckerville Road and Central Avenue, in the Whiting section of the township, to investigate a motor vehicle accident involving a vehicle which had collided into a tree.
Upon arrival, officers observed a white 2020 Subaru WRX with extensive damage, and the driver still inside fastened by a seatbelt. The investigation revealed that the Subaru was traveling east on Beckerville Road when a deer emerged from a wooded area and into his lane of travel. The driver collided with the deer and subsequently lost control of the vehicle as it entered the westbound lane and ran off of the road colliding into a mailbox, landscape rocks, and a large tree. The driver of the Subaru, 19 year old Isaiah Shabazz of Whiting, was extricated by fire department personnel and transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center by Robert Wood Johnson Life Flight medevac helicopter for treatment of possible head trauma and internal injuries. He is currently listed in critical but stable condition. The roadway was closed as the investigation was underway.
Assisting at the scene were members of the Whiting Volunteer Fire Company, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Fire Department, Manchester Township Emergency Medical Services, and MONOC paramedics. This crash is being investigated by Sergeant Ian Bole of the department’s Traffic Safety section.