Residents demand safety fixes on Lanes Mill Road after teen’s fatal crash; county pledges review

Dozens of Brick Township residents urged county and local officials to take immediate action to make Lanes Mill Road safer after a May 19 hit-and-run that killed a 15-year-old student.

"This hits very close to my heart," said Lori Cotman, a third-grade teacher who spoke during the council's public comment period, describing children who walk that corridor and calling for repaired flashing school-zone lights, larger school zones and lower speed limits. Amy Cabrera, who organized a petition she said gathered 100 signatures, called for raised crosswalks, speed cushions, bike lanes, speed cameras and increased patrols "to prevent further tragedies and protect our children."

The public outcry prompted a direct response from Ocean County officials who were attending the meeting. County Administrator Mike Fury said the county already has started collecting traffic data and will convene a meeting with law enforcement, schools, engineers and township staff. "We're not going to wait until we have that meeting to start collecting data," Fury said, noting the county has placed monitoring boxes "to monitor how many vehicles come down that street and what the speed of those vehicles are." County Engineer Mark Jenkee was identified as part of the team who will analyze the findings and return recommendations.

Residents described multiple near-misses, broken flashing beacons in school zones, missing sidewalks and persistent speeding. Brent Swanson, whose house faces a preschool stop, said bus operations have felt unsafe and drivers regularly run red lights near stops. Cindy and Andy Patterson, long-time residents, described repeated vehicle incursions into front yards and a history of requests for sidewalks that they said were not acted on.

Several speakers urged the county and town to pursue available funding. One commenter noted a recently passed state program with funds for bike and safe-transit projects; council members and the mayor said Brick has used Safe Routes to School grants in prior years to install sidewalks and signage on parts of Lanes Mill Road.

Fury said the county will hold a follow-up meeting on June 25 to coordinate engineering and enforcement options with the township, schools and law enforcement and will communicate decisions through the mayor's office. "This will take a little time for us to figure out what one is legally possible, what is able to be engineered, what the town would like us to do," Fury said, adding that the county will work with town staff "to make sure that road becomes safer."

What happens next: County staff installed temporary monitoring equipment to log volumes and speeds, and officials scheduled an interagency meeting to evaluate engineering, enforcement and grant-funding options. Residents pressed for near-term fixes — repaired flashing beacons and increased enforcement — while urging the county and township to pursue longer-term engineering changes.

Reporter's note: At the meeting residents repeatedly identified the deceased teen as Jackson Mueller and said the crash occurred in a marked crosswalk on Lanes Mill Road; the council and county representatives acknowledged the fatal incident and framed their response as an interagency review and data-gathering effort rather than the adoption of specific construction projects.

The county administrator said officials will return to the public with recommended changes after the monitoring and the joint review.