TOMS RIVER: Saturday night around 22:00 OCSN received word of a serious crash on NJ 37 @ Washington. Initially we did not know the severity of the crash, but an OCSN photographer on scene noted numerous glass liquor bottles tossed on the grass. One suspect, Derrick Demers- a 30 y/o male from Brick was charged with DUI (and others) after failing a roadside sobriety test.

Derrick Demers, 30, was reported to have been traveling at a high rate of speed when he struck the rear of a Jeep that was stopped in the eastbound lane of Route 37 at a red traffic light.  Demers then continued through the intersection and across the westbound lanes striking the base of the traffic light pole. A passenger in Demers’ vehicle was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for injuries sustained in the accident. Demers himself suffered only minor injuries. Two of the four occupants in the Jeep were transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center, and two were transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River.

Derrick Demers under arrest for DUI

One of the passengers in the Jeep was later transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. Police charged Demers with Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol, Reckless Driving, and Careless Driving. Toms River Police Officer David Talty is investigating the matter further.

Liquor bottles scattered about the grass area