A horrific wrong-way crash on the **New Jersey Turnpike** early Sunday morning claimed the lives of **four teenagers**, leaving a community heartbroken and searching for answers. The tragedy unfolded around **12:40 a.m.**, when a **Dodge pickup truck**, driven by **Christopher Neff**, 33, of New Jersey, was traveling north in the southbound lanes near **Exit 9** in **Middlesex County**.
At the same time, a **Mazda SUV** carrying **Yaakov Kilberg** and three of his close friends was heading southbound when Neff’s vehicle suddenly appeared in their lane. The collision was catastrophic—**a head-on impact** so violent that the Mazda was pushed into the path of an oncoming **tractor-trailer**, which struck it again before both vehicles came to a rest amid debris and flames.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene, but it was too late. All four teens in the Mazda were **pronounced dead at the scene**, their lives cut short in an instant. Authorities have not yet released the names of the other three victims pending family notifications, but all were described as beloved members of their local community.
Neff was **seriously injured** and transported to a nearby hospital, where he remains under medical care. The driver of the tractor-trailer escaped without physical harm but was treated for shock.The crash shut down the southbound lanes of the Turnpike for several hours as **New Jersey State Police** investigators worked through the wreckage, gathering evidence to determine what led to the wrong-way entry.
As news spread, grief swept through the teens’ hometowns, where friends and families gathered to mourn the unimaginable loss. Vigils are being planned in their memory—a somber reminder of how quickly life can change and how deeply one tragic mistake can impact an entire community.
