NJ-EMS

NORTH BERGEN, N.J. — Three people were killed and a fourth was seriously injured in a two-vehicle collision on Sunday afternoon on a New Jersey road with a reputation as a place for drag racing, the police said.

Those pronounced dead at the scene were Maria Leyton, 79, from Fords, in one car, and George M. Ghebrial, 19, and Mena S. Shafek, 18, both of Jersey City, in the other vehicle, investigators said.

The sole survivor, Doris Etchegaray, 54, Ms. Leyton’s daughter, New jersey paramedic and EMT's took her to the Jersey City Medical Center, where she underwent surgery, the police said. Investigators speculated that she survived because of an air bag on her side. There was no airbag on the passenger’s side.

Investigators said they were exploring the possibility that racing played a role in the accident, which occurred a little after 3 p.m. in the 2500 block of Secaucus Road in North Bergen near Routes 1 and 9. They were questioning four possible witnesses, two in another vehicle and two in a nearby parking lot.

Both vehicles involved in the crash were demolished, the police said. The collision involved a speed well above the local limit of 25 miles per hour, the police said.

Drag racing is a recurring problem on Secaucus Road, and police patrols try to discourage it, said an investigator, Lou J. Stitzer. The highway, in an industrial zone that is largely deserted on weekends, is two lanes wide and has long, straight stretches between traffic lights.

Mr. Ghebrial was driving a blue Honda Civic, with his friend as a passenger, the police said.

Their eastbound car crossed a median double line and collided with a westbound Chevrolet Blazer driven by Ms. Etchegaray, the police said.

In another two-vehicle accident in New Jersey on Sunday, a father and his 16-year-old daughter were seriously injured when they were ejected from their Ford Explorer in a collision with a Jeep Cherokee on Route 46 in Passaic County, the police said.New jersey paramedic and EMT's treated the victims and transported them to the hospital

The father, Alejandro Gallardo, was the driver, and his injured daughter was Giovanna. Two other members of the family suffered less severe injuries, officials said.

Mr. Gallardo’s 5-year-old son, Alejandro Jr., was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash but was not injured. Unlike the others, he was belted into his seat, the police said. No one in the Jeep Cherokee suffered significant injuries, the police said.