Barnegat Man Charged with DWI After Head-On Collision

A Barnegat man has been charged with DWI after causing a head-on collision on Barnegat Boulevard early Sunday morning, police said.

At 3:18 a.m., Michael Grace, 51, was driving his 1996 Plymouth Breeze east in the westbound lane of Barnegat Boulevard North when he struck a 2005 Chevy Cobalt driven by Jessica Allen, 22, also of Barnegat, said Lt. Patrick Shaffery of the Barnegat Township Police Department.

Grace and Allen were both taken to Southern Ocean Medical Center following the crash, Grace with a chest injury and Allen with an arm injury, Shaffery said.

Investigators determined Grace was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash and was arrested, Shaffery said. In addition to the DWI charge, he also faces charges of reckless driving and improper operation of a vehicle on a divided highway.