Trooper drives 2 to prom after crash

OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Their car had gone off the road and their prom night nearly went off the rails, but a state trooper offered to give two teens a ride.

The male students were headed to Long Beach Island for prom with their classmates at the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Sciences when the Lincoln Town Car they were in rolled off the Garden State Parkway and onto an embankment, New Jersey State Police said. Neither of them was hurt and no other vehicles were involved, but the Towncar was out of commission.

So Trooper Chris Jones gave them a lift.

"I just thought it would be something nice for them to deal with after crashing mom's car. What's more traumatic than that?" said Jones. "They spun out, no one's really ready for that, especially at a young age, just getting their license."

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Jones said that the crash was likely the result of the driver overcompensating after finding another car in his blind spot while trying to change lanes, and that Trooper Charles Garrison, the investigating officer, decided no citations were necessary.

There was a little confusion when a state police cruiser pulled up outside the Brant Beach Yacht Club with two young men in white tuxedos inside, but the confusion turned to excitement as other students pulled out phones and snapped pictures. Jones said he opted not to turn on his lights and sirens at the students' request.

"I didn't want to embarrass them," he said.

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Jones has been a trooper for nearly 12 years. He patrols the 69 miles at the southern end of the Parkway. He said that speed is most frequently the reason behind car crashes and advised motorists to keep a safe distance from other cars, be prepared for holiday traffic and never drink and drive.

As for offering to take the boys to their prom, he said it happened to be a short drive and there was plenty of manpower available.

"As far as motorists, we're responsible for relaying them safely off the roadway, into cab companies, bus station, motel," said Jones. "Sometimes we go above and beyond based upon what's called for ... it's individual discretion, but I'd hope that any trooper or any law enforcement officer would take the time to help somebody out when they can and do something nice for people when they can."

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Two days before the May 6 prom night crash, another trooper, Kimberly Snyder, gave a Stockton University student a lift to an exam after his car broke down on the parkway, state police announced on Facebook.

"We encounter a lot of negativity on the highway, be it either somebody's having a bad day, they crashed, they're getting a traffic ticket," said Jones. "It's nice to go above and beyond."

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Alex N. Gecan: 732-643-4043; agecan@gannettnj.com