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DWI Driver Killed South Jersey Man, 72, In Head-On Crash: Police

An Egg Harbor Township resident was accused of driving under the influence in a crash that killed a Somers Point man, authorities said.

Blackman Road near the intersection with Carrann Lane in Egg Harbor Township, NJ.

Blackman Road near the intersection with Carrann Lane in Egg Harbor Township, NJ.

Photo Credit: Google Maps

Oriel Dixon, 38, was charged with driving while impaired, the Egg Harbor Township Police Department said in a news release on Tuesday, Dec. 17. According to state police data, the crash happened near the intersection of Blackman Road and Carrann Lane.

Dixon was arrested after the crash that killed 72-year-old Joseph Natale on Monday, Dec. 16. Officers responded to the scene between Brookside Drive and Meadow Drive at around 9:03 p.m.

Investigators said Dixon was driving north on Blackman Road in a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer and crossed the center line into oncoming traffic. The SUV collided head-on with Natale, who was heading south in a 2015 Honda CR-V.

Natale was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. A 28-year-old man in Natale's SUV was also brought to a hospital with injuries.

Dixon and a boy in the Mercury suffered minor injuries. They were treated at the scene by Egg Harbor Township paramedics.

Police said the investigation was ongoing and more charges were expected. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office was assisting in the case.

Blackman Road was closed for about four hours while first responders investigated and cleared the scene.

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