🚨 The impact of the crash split two vehicles in half

🚨 All five teens in the car attended Lakewood High School

🚨 Two victims remain hospitalized


LAKEWOOD – The three victims of Saturday's horrific crash that split two vehicles in half have been identified.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer identified the victims as driver Jayla Ortiz, 23, of Lakewood, Ceasia Jefferson, 24, of Neptune Township, and a 17-year-old male of the Lanoka Harbor section of Lacey.

A GoFundMe page identified the 17-year-old as Dashaun Witter.

Saturday car crash in Lakewood

Witter and Jefferson were sitting in the backseat along with Alexis Holloway, 23, of Berkeley.

Mylani Theibault, 18, of Berkeley, was seated in the front.

Holloway was still hospitalized Tuesday in critical condition while Theibault was in stable condition.

The Honda Accord ran a red light on Cedar Bridge Road and New Hampshire Avenue around 2:20 a.m. and slammed into a Dodge pickup

Billhimer has not disclosed how fast the Accord was traveling at impact.

The driver of the pickup, Mathew Draheim, 56, of Lakewood, was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center with minor injuries.

All five in car were Lakewood High grads and students

The Lakewood School District said that all five of the occupants of the Accord were Lakewood High School graduates and students.

“This is every parent’s worst nightmare," Billhimer said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with these young men and women, their families and their friends."

Vehicles involved in a fatal crash in Lakewood 10/7/23
Vehicles involved in a fatal crash in Lakewood 10/7/23 (The Lakewood Scoop)
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Funeral for a friend

Ortiz's funeral is scheduled for Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the D'Elia Funeral Home in Lakewood.

"Dashaun Witter was such a respectful person and fun-going person to be around," a fundraising page for his family says. "He loved his family most importantly, Dashaun loved and cared for everyone that he came in contact with."

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