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Phillip R. Baines was not in a crosswalk when he was hit around 7:20 p.m. by a pair of eastbound cars that had a green light near the intersection with Woodward Road, authorities said. The drivers of the SUV and a car stopped and cooperated with police.
Although Baines was initially reported by the Monmouth Prosecutor’s Office as a Newark resident, he was residing in the nearby Manalapan Manor, a group home that township leaders have repeatedly sought to have closed over safety concerns and poor living conditions.
Three Manalapan Manor residents were killed by vehicles on Route 33 near the facility between 2014 and 2016 as they crossed or walked along the highway to shop nearby, according to a letter from town officials. Police have responded to numerous calls at the facility, including for mental health concerns, disorderly conduct and harassment. Manor residents often were reported to be unsupervised and wandering on the state highway.
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