A tragic crash on Route 80 in Hackensack, N.J., left two people dead and two others seriously injured late Tuesday night, causing major traffic delays well into Wednesday.
The incident began around 11:30 p.m. when a Toyota SUV struck the median and collided with a tractor trailer, according to reports.
The tractor trailer then broke through the median into the westbound lanes and caused a chain-reaction crash, hitting a box truck that caught fire upon impact and a big SUV, investigators said.
The box truck’s driver and a passenger were reportedly killed instantly, while the tractor-trailer driver and his passenger, both men in their 60s from Texas, were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.
The SUV’s occupants and the Toyota driver sustained minor injuries in the incident. The victims’ identities were not immediately released.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene.
“It was completely backed up. You could see all the cars backed up. Everyone banging their horns and everything.” Alex Burgos of Hackensack told CBS News.
The accident caused significant traffic disruptions, with both eastbound and westbound express lanes closed for several hours, reopening by the afternoon. The crash remained under investigation as of Wednesday night.