Story by Ethan
On May 13th, 2025, the arrest of Martine Taylor Jr., age 56, was announced by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Martine Taylor Jr. was charged with causing death while driving with a suspended driver’s license. The arrest and charges against Martin Taylor Jr. were a result of an investigation launched by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Lakewood Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, at approximately 1:35 a.m. on May 13th, 2025, Lakewood Township Police were notified of a utility mishap in the area of Cedar Bridge Avenue near the Garden State Parkway. The operator of a tractor had struck overhead utility wires, and the Jersey Central Power & Light rendered the area safe after being contacted to respond to the incident. Responding personnel located a heavily damaged 2015 Nissan Altima stuck upside down in a ditch adjacent to Cedar Bridge Avenue. Officers were able to identify Martine Taylor Jr. as the driver trapped inside the vehicle, before being swiftly rescued and transported to the Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey to be treated for his injuries. Also in the car was a 52-year old female victim in the passenger seat at the time of the crash. Life saving efforts were immediately deployed, however the victim was soon pronounced dead at the scene. Further investigation revealed that the Nissan Altima was traveling westbound on Cedar Bridge Avenue before crossing the double yellow lines and crossing the eastbound lane of the road before going airborne and clearing the guardrail, traveling approximately 189 feet through the air before striking a utility pole. The Nissan Altima then made brief contact with the ground before going airborne a second time, promptly striking a tree and landing on the vehicle’s roof in the ditch it was located in. At the time of the crash Martine Taylor Jr.’s driving license was suspended, and while being nursed for his injuries a court-warranted blood draw was taken with the results still pending.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the charges against Martine Taylor Jr. are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
