Officials Investigating Intersection After Fatal Accident

David Pszczola was a carpenter, a union man, a father and a husband and he died barely more than a mile from home. 

On the morning of May 3, Pszczola got into a 2001 Chevy Express van and left his Aldrich Road home, a stone’s throw away from Windeler Road, just outside the Manasquan Reservoir County Park. It was shortly before 6:37 a.m.

Pszczola, 51, drove southwest on Aldrich Road, heading toward Route 9, like so many others on their way to work. He drove past I-195, past Sun Hollow Road, Locust Road and Freedom Court.

But he never crossed Pinewood Road alive. There, just 1.2 miles from his home and at an intersection neighborhood residents say is dangerous and scary and should be regulated by some kind of traffic control, Pszczola was hit a in the passenger side of the van by a 2008 Honda Accord driven by another township resident.

The van flipped, several times. Pszczola, who police said was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene.

At town hall, Mayor William Gotto and other officials started asking within hours for an accounting of the incident, about the number and type of accidents at that intersection, and others along Aldrich Road.

“Whenever there’s a tragic incident like this, we start taking a look at whether there’s something that can be done,” Gotto said.

Gotto said, however, the intersection at Aldrich and Pinewood roads was not on the township’s radar before last week.

“I was never made aware that there was an issue there,’’ Gotto said.

Since last week, however, the Police Department has made available the number of accidents at numerous intersections on Aldrich Road. Gotto said he thought there were about 20 at Pinewood Road – not out of line with other intersections.

“But I don’t know if those were minor fender-benders or if they were more serious,’’ Gotto said. “The number only tells part of the story.’’

Township officials are still wading through the information, trying to determine if a traffic light or other kind of traffic regulation is warranted.

“I know people have a sense of immediacy when something like this happens,’’ Gotto said. “The truth is that it takes a while to pull all the information from our police records, but that is what we’re doing.’’

Gotto said there has never been discussion about putting in a traffic signal at that intersection, as far as he can remember. 

“But now there is, and that’s what we’re doing,’’ Gotto said. “It just takes a little time.’’