08/03/2026
๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐
๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
On Sunday, August 2, 2026, at approximately 11:44 p.m., officers from the Galloway Township Police Department responded to Ridgewood Senior Living at Historic Smithville for a report of a vehicle that had crashed into the building. The initial caller reported that the vehicle was on fire and that the driver could not be seen.
Responding officers located a 2023 Ram van that had crashed into the front of the building and was actively on fire. Through coordinated efforts involving Ridgewood Senior Living personnel and responding emergency service agencies, more than 100 residents and staff members were safely evacuated from the facility.
During the evacuation, two residents sustained minor injuries and were transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center for treatment. Responding fire departments extinguished the fire and prevented more extensive damage to the building.
The preliminary investigation determined that the driver, identified as 40-year-old Eliel Vazquez-Hernandez of Mays Landing, was traveling at a high rate of speed on Old New York Road. His vehicle continued through the intersection of Route 9 and entered the parking lot of Historic Smithville Village.
The van then traveled into the parking area of Ridgewood Senior Living, where it struck several fixed objects, including landscaping and a fire hydrant, before striking a parked vehicle and crashing into the building.
Vazquez-Hernandez was taken into custody on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He was also charged with several criminal offenses, including Assault by Auto, Criminal Mischief, and Causing or Risking Widespread Injury or Damage. The charges were placed on a warrant.
Vazquez-Hernandez was transported to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center for medical treatment and is awaiting transfer to the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
The Galloway Township Police Department would like to thank all emergency service personnel who responded and assisted with this incident.
These charges are merely accusations and are not evidence of guilt. In all criminal cases, a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
