Two drivers killed in wrong way crash on Garden State Parkway

LITTLE EGG HARBOR — A Northfield woman and a driver from North Carolina are both dead after they collided in a head-on crash on the Garden State Parkway Friday night.

Cortney Downey, 32, of Northfield, and Michelle Ross, 50, of Asheville, North Carolina, were both fatally injured in the crash, according to State Police. It occurred in the southbound lanes near mile mark 59.3 in Little Egg Harbor Twp.

Police responded to the scene shortly before 9:30 p.m. and found what was left of a Toyota Corolla and a Mitsubishi Outlander.

Helicopter footage from 6abc shows the Outlander had flipped and landed upside down. The front of the Corolla was completely destroyed. Debris covered the roadway.

While authorities said that Downey had been driving the Corolla and that Ross was driving the Outlander, police did not say which vehicle was headed in the wrong direction.

A GoFundMe for Downey's funeral expenses posted by her family claims that the other motorist was responsible.

"Cortney Downey, our beloved friend, sister, mother, and daughter unexpectedly lost her life on October 21st. She was struck by a drunk driver driving on the opposite side of the Garden State Parkway."

The GoFundMe, created by Zach Downey, states that any extra money raised will go toward a college fund for Downey's daughter.

New Jersey 101.5 has reached out to the State Police for information on which vehicle was headed in the wrong direction and to confirm if there was evidence that alcohol was involved in the collision. State Police PIO Charles Marchan told New Jersey 101.5 on Sunday morning that "the crash remains under investigation."

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

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