Police were called to Canal and Grouser roads on Saturday, Aug. 24 around 12:25 p.m. after a kayaker saw a 2024 Honda Civic in the river, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said.
The body of the sole occupant, a 31-year-old Skillman man, was pulled from the vehicle, which was removed from the water by Mike's Towing and Recovery, McDonald said.
An investigation found that the Honda had been heading west on Grouser Road when he entered the intersection at Canal Road, where he was forced to go either left or right. However, the driver did not stop and struck the guardrails, causing the vehicle to go airborne and hit several signs and a tree before landing in the river, according to McDonald.
Medical Investigators from the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene. A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause and origin of death. The investigation remains ongoing.
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