Driver who fled traffic stop in New Jersey killed in crash moments later, police say

A driver who fled a police traffic stop in Atlantic County early Monday was killed shortly afterward when his car struck a tree and he was ejected, authorities said.

Local police stopped the car shortly after 3 a.m. on Route 655 South in Franklin Township, but during the stop, the driver drove off, according to New Jersey State Police.

Shortly afterward, the driver lost control of the vehicle near mile marker 0.1 in Buena Vista Township, veered off the road to the right, struck a tree and overturned, according to state police.

In the crash, the driver was ejected from the car and suffered fatal injuries, State Police Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron said in a statement.

The statement did not specify whether local police were pursuing the driver at the time of the crash. Lebron said no further information was available.

The driver’s name has not been released pending notification of next of kin. The crash remains under investigation.

Anthony G. Attrino can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.