Driver faces charges after
splitting car in accident
By paul godino
Staff Writer

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — A Howell resident walked away from an accident after his car split in two in a single-vehicle accident on Double Creek Parkway on Jan. 5.

According to police reports, Daniel DeCristofaro, 18, lost control of his 2000 Volkswagen Jetta while rounding a slight curve on the residential street. The passenger side front wheel struck the curb and spun the car counterclockwise onto the front lawn of a home at 69 Double Creek Parkway.

The car then struck a tree on its passenger side and split in half at the b-pillar, which is just behind the passenger seat. The front end of the vehicle traveled another 35 feet with DeCristofaro in it before coming to rest, police said.

DeCristofaro was the vehicle’s lone occupant.

Firefighters responded to the accident site to contain a gas leak, but there was no fire.

Freehold Township Police Department Lt. Robert Brightman said DeCristofaro has been charged with reckless driving and careless driving. The case is pending court.

The accident prompted Michael Laricy, the resident on whose lawn the back of the car came to rest, to voice his concerns about what he said is a speeding problem on Double Creek Parkway and other township roads.

"I have been compelled to write this letter in the wake of last night’s very, very, very close tragedy. One young man was very lucky to be alive considering he split his car in two on the tree in front of my house," Laricy wrote in a letter to the editor of the News Transcript. "I don’t know what it is going to take to get people to slow down on Double Creek Parkway. ... Residents and police need to come together on a resolution soon."

Brightman said the Jan. 5 accident appeared to be a unique situation involving a young, inexperienced driver late at night. Of the 2,024 motor vehicle accidents that occurred on Freehold Township roads in 2001, three occurred on Double Creek Parkway, the lieutenant said. None of those three accidents caused a fatality.

"Speeding is an issue in our community, but we have a highly aggressive approach to reduce speeding," Brightman said.

He said police have increased their awareness of and approach to aggressive driving in the last two years, due in large part to an aggressive driver grant from the state. The grant allows police to have more patrol cars on the streets by paying for officers’ overtime. The officers in these patrol cars are focused only on monitoring aggressive driving.