Weekend crashes in NJ: Speeding motorized bicycle torches SUV

Two crashes this weekend involved bicycles.

In one, a bicyclist was killed on a highway. In the other, a man was seriously injured after his motorized bicycle crashed into an SUV and burst into flames.

Fatal bicycle crash

Arthur Herz, 61, of the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, was struck by a Jeep Cherokee as he entered the westbound lanes of the Black Horse Pike (Route 322) near Route 50 around 8:20 p.m. Friday, according to Hamilton police.

Herz was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Herz was not wearing a helmet.

The driver of the Jeep, Luca Scott, 21, of the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township, was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Pomona with non-life-threatening injuries.

It was the 19th fatal crash in Atlantic County this year and the fifth in the township, according to State Police records.

ALSO READ: 3 cars, 1 body: nonprofit group finds what police didn't

Motorized bike torches SUV

The rider of a motorized bike was seriously injured early Sunday morning after speeding through a red light at the intersection of Commonwealth Boulevard and Northampton Boulevard in Manchester. The bike crashed into a Ford Explorer, according to Manchester police.

William Roberts, 21, of Manchester, was ejected before his bike was dragged 75 feet by the SUV. The crash sparked a fire that torched the SUV.

The SUV driver, Tzvi Kaplovitz, 26, of Manchester, was not injured, according to police.

The people in a vehicle behind the SUV stopped and ran to aid the two drivers. Residents also came out of their homes to help.

ALSO READ: Holding onto tradition: Memorial Day parades this year in NJ

Tragedy on the highway

A man crossing Route 1 while riding a scooter in the early morning hours of Wednesday died after being struck by a car.

Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan told New Jersey 101.5 that the driver of the scooter, a 22-year-old Edison man, was crossing the southbound lanes in a crosswalk at Plainfield Avenue around 1:45 a.m. Police said he was struck by an SUV driven by a 61-year-old man from Rahway who was headed to work. The SUV had the green light, police said.

A GoFundMe page created by a cousin identified the victim as Raul Antonio Montoya Chavez. He was a father and husband, according to the page.

Multiple shots were fired at a juvenile riding a bike in a Toms River neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, according to Toms River police. The male was not struck but gunfire hit several homes.

The teen gunman left the area after the shooting. The teen also faces an unlawful possession of a weapon charge.