Good Samaritans recall fiery South Jersey crash that left pregnant woman, 1 other dead
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Two people, including a pregnant woman, are dead after a multi-vehicle crash happened in South Jersey on Friday night.
Multiple people were left injured after the fiery crash, but many were saved thanks to the quick work of good Samaritans at the scene.
It happened just before 8:30 p.m. on the 8000 block of the Black Horse Pike in the West Atlantic City section of Egg Harbor Township.
According to police, a 2017 silver Nissan Sentra was driving westbound on the Black Horse Pike when it unexpectedly entered the eastbound lanes.
Officers say the driver was traveling in the wrong direction.
The silver Nissan then reportedly collided head-on with a 2018 Kia Forte. The Kia was then pushed backward into a 2020 red Nissan Sentra, police say.
Authorities also said a fourth vehicle -- a 2019 silver Toyota Yaris -- was struck by debris thrown from one of the vehicles.
Police say the head-on collision caused the silver Nissan to catch fire.
Multiple motorists and witnesses stopped to assist the occupants out of the burning vehicle.
Good Samaritans, one being Lisa Bonanno, dragged people out of the car before it was engulfed in flames.
"It was chaotic. No one was sure what to do," Bonanno recalled. "No one arrived yet to help, so people took it into their own hands, and that restored my faith in humanity."
She says she's thankful for the others who stepped in with her to help people get to safety. Bonanno also recalled how terrifying the flames were up close.
"There were some men that were there. They were the real heroes, they really pulled. They got everyone out. They had trouble getting the last one out so what I did was I tried to move them away from the car. It was going to blow," Bonanno said.
Another good Samaritan stepped in to help the passengers of the silver Nissan as well.
The bystander, identified as Chris Wilson, is in the hospital recovering from his injuries. He helped pull a juvenile out of the burning car.
"Just hearing that kid yell like that. You can hear in his voice he wanted to live. He just wanted to live but he could not get out of that car so we did everything in our power," Wilson recalled.
Authorities announced Saturday that two people died in the crash.
One of the victims was identified as 21-year-old Escarlin Suriel of Atlantic City, who was the driver of the Kia Forte. Action News spoke with Suriel's family on Saturday, who said she was eight months pregnant with her second child.
Suriel's husband, who was also a passenger in the Kia -- 27-year-old Francisco Nin -- was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after the crash.
Police identified the second victim as 22-year-old Gabriella Constrantino, who was a passenger in the silver Nissan.
According to investigators, two juvenile passengers in the silver Nissan were taken to the hospital and listed in critical condition.
Another passenger, a 25-year-old man, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Finally, two occupants of the red Nissan were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
As authorities investigate the crash, Bonanno and Wilson say this incident is something that they will always carry with them.
"I had trouble at night sleeping because I felt like I could have stayed longer and did more, but in reality, I couldn't and that's what was hard for everyone," Bonanno said.
"It was just really surreal. The youth that are still here, I'm glad they still have a fighting chance," Wilson added.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
