UPDATED: Police Say Driver Ran Red Light, Causing Downtown Crash

A Barnegat woman and a Stafford truck driver have been issued summonses following the collision at Route 9 and Bay Avenue that resulted in injuries, property damage and snarled traffic today.

At 11:39 a.m., Renee Tortoriello, 53, of Barnegat, was driving her 2007 Lincoln MKZ east on Bay Avenue when she failed to stop at a red light at Route 9, said Lt. Keith Germain of the Barnegat Township Police Department.

Tortoriello entered the intersection and collided with a northbound GMC C3500 dump truck operated by Wilhem Garcia, 21, of Manahawkin, Germain said.

He said the collision drove the dump truck off the road into the park located at the northeast corner of the intersection, where it destroyed a light pole, crashed through trees and bushes and came to rest against the park's gazebo, which also sustained damage.

Tortoriello and her front seat passenger were transported to Southern Ocean Medical Center with minor injuries, said Germain. Garcia was uninjured.

Police issued Tortoriello a summons for failure to stop at a red signal, he said, and Garcia was issued a summons for being an unlicensed driver.

Click here for photos of the accident aftermath.

Barnegat resident Laura Higgins said she had just driven through the intersection headed east on Bay Avenue when she glimpsed the accident in her rearview mirror.

"I heard a huge crash and then I saw someting flying," she said. "Everyone got here within seconds.

Route 9 was closed to north and southbound traffic between Bay Avenue and Burr Street for about an hour following the accident, as numerous police, fire and EMS workers responded to the scene.