5 Cars Involved in Route 35 Crash

A driver briefly distracted while driving in heavy traffic on Route 35 in Eatontown Wednesday hit the rear of the vehicle in front of her, triggering a chain reaction of crashes and requiring four vehicles to be towed from the scene.

According to Eatontown Police, the driver of a Cadillac Escalade was traveling northbound in the right lane of the highway in heavy traffic around 12:30 p.m. and did not see vehicles stop in front of her when the driver reported she "looked down and took her eyes off the road." The 44-year-old Holmdel woman hit the rear of the vehicle in front of her and caused that vehicle to hit the vehicle in front of it.

The chain reaction continued along the line of traffic resulting in five vehicles involved in the crash, according to police, which occurred south of Industrial Way East in front of the .

The driver of the Escalade was issued a motor vehicle summons for careless driving, said police.

Three minor injuries were reported at the scene, including two back injuries and one neck injury but all refused medical treatment at the scene.

Eatontown police officers spent approximately 45 minutes at the scene, investigating and clearing the crash, and were assisted by the Eatontown Fire Department.