Four children, one adult killed in Route 1 crash in Delaware

Four children and an adult - all members of the same New Jersey family - were killed in the collision of a mini-van and pickup truck in southern Delaware Friday, officials said.

The dead include a 61-year-old man from Teaneck, N.J., and his four children, 20, 17, and twin 13-year-old daughters, officials said. The man’s 53-year-old wife was the lone survivor. She is hospitalized with serious injuries.

The names of the victims have not yet been released pending notification of next of kin.

The crash shut down heavily traveled Route 1 during the evening rush hour as people were headed to the Delaware and Maryland beaches for the weekend.

The vehicles collided just before 4 p.m. when the pickup truck, which was headed south, crossed the median and struck a northbound car before slamming into the minivan, according to Delaware State Police spokeswoman Lt. Melissa Jaffe.

All five of the deceased were in the minivan.

“It’s certainly heartbreaking as you can imagine, those of us that have families and children, I mean, I feel so bad for this family. I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” Jaffe said

Two people in the pickup were transported to local hospitals with non-threatening injuries.

Police said they are not yet sure why the pickup truck crossed into the northbound lanes.

Route 1 is Delaware’s main north-south artery and routinely carries thousands to the popular shore resorts of Rehoboth and Ocean City, Md. Traffic was backed up in both directions for miles after the crash.

“It’s certainly heartbreaking as you can imagine, those of us that have families and children, I mean, I feel so bad for this family. I can’t imagine what they’re going through.” — Lt. Melissa Jaffe