Details Emerge From Waretown Motorcycle Accident

When John Guinta stepped outside his home to light his grill Tuesday afternoon, he had no idea what was about to unfold.

As he lit his grill and waited for it to heat up, he walked around to the front of his house, as he always does, located on the corner of Route 9 and Clearwater Drive. 

"I saw the motorcycle coming down Rt. 9 North as I turned the corner and went back to my grill," Guinta said. 

The next thing he knew, there was a loud crash in the front of his house.

"The first thought I had was 'Oh my god, please don’t let that be the guy on the motorcycle,'" he said. "As I ran out to the front, I saw most of the bike, some pieces and the guy laying in the road."

Guinta said the first thing he did was check the victim, Donald Harrington of Waretown, for a pulse and to see if he was breathing.

"As I ran over to the guy, I had one of the neighbor's call 911. It looked like he had been thrown 30 feet, and his helmet had flown off," Guinta said. "I checked him for a pulse and to see if he was breathing. There was nothing."

Guinta said he helped direct traffic and keep onlookers away until police arrived. He also checked on the other victims involved in the accident.

"I went over to the older couple in the SUV to see if they were okay. I tried to keep them calm as we waited for the police to arrive," he said. "The Waretown police showed up very quickly."

Susan Legander, another neighbor who was at the scene, said she couldn't imagine how Harrington's wife felt.

"I felt bad for his wife, she was brought up here to the accident and police wouldn't even let her see him," Legander said.

Harrington's motorcycle struck a 2004 Ford Taurus that was attempting to make a left turn, police said.

Harrington was thrown from his bike and struck an SUV traveling south on Route 9, police said.

The driver of the Ford Taurus, 47-year-old Frederick Hochstrasser of Waretown, and the SUV, 79-year-old Andrew Marshall of Barnegat, were not injured.

Ocean Township Patrolman Steve Mandarine is investigating.

"I don't think either of us got any sleep last night," Legander said. "Every time you shut your eyes, all you can see is that horrible accident."

"My prayers go out to his family as well as the families of everyone involved. This was a gruesome horrible accident," Guinta said. "It's horrible to see a man like that."