Driver dead, passenger critical, in Route 3 SUV crash

Law enforcement officials report that a woman in her early 20s is dead and another in critical condition after their SUV crashed into a tree on Route 3 East in Clifton shortly after 3 this morning. The eastbound lanes of Route 3 were closed for several hours while police reconstructed the accident.

Jerry DeMarco

12/15/2010 11:49 a.m.

Traffic was at a standstill between Valley Road (near where routes 3 and 46 merge) and Van Houten Avenue during rush hour after the driver of the Hyundai Santa Fe was pronounced dead and her passenger was airlifted to a nearby hospital, authorities report. Police reopened the highway around 8.

No word this afternoon on the condition of the second woman, who apparently is from Newark (so was the driver).

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