CHERRY HILL -- A 21-year-old Florida man died Saturday in a violent head-on collision on the New Jersey Turnpike when his Jeep SUV, traveling south in a northbound lane, smashed into another SUV, a state trooper said.
Michael Jones of Port Richey, Fla. was declared dead at the scene of the accident at mile post 33.2 here, Trooper Alejandro Goez said Sunday. The accident was reported at 11:30 p.m.
Jones allegedly smashed into a 2012 Hyundai Tucson driven by a 42-year-old man from Jersey City. He and his 32-year-old passenger, also of Jersey City, were taken by ambulance to Cooper University Hospital in Camden with non-life-threatening injuries, Goez said.
It was not immediately reported how Jones ended up traveling the wrong way on the turnpike, a toll road in which vehicles must travel through toll booths to enter.
The weather conditions were dry and clear. The northbound lanes were closed for an hour after the incident, Goez said. The accident remains under investigation.
Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bduhart. Find NJ.com on Facebook.