HOWELL — Two people, including a local hip-hop artist, died in a crash in Monmouth County late Friday afternoon.

Police Chief Andrew Kudrick said that a gold Honda Accord driven by Ronald S. McGhee, 31, of Manchester, went off Hurley Pond Road about 5:30 p.m. The car then hit several trees.

McGhee and passenger Justin Mercer, 25, of Toms River, were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Mercer was known as Pockets Marley, an aspiring hip-hop recording artist.

A day before the accident, Mercer's Pockets Marley account on Facebook re-shared a post from a year earlier with a single line from a Post Malone song.

"I don't wanna die too young," Mercer wrote. "I been grinding way too long."

Kae Skrill, a friend of Mercer's, said Mercer and McGhee were "really good friends." She remembered Mercer as "a great person ... a great artist."

"He loved all of his friends and his girlfriend Christina. Such a fun person to be around. He was always making new music and always in the studio," Skrill said.

Screenshot of Pockets Marley's Facebook post.
Screenshot of Pockets Marley's Facebook post.
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Kudrick did not know what caused the crash and said it was still under investigation.

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