NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP/1010 WINS)  -- A North Brunswick police officer was killed and a second officer injured when the sports car they were riding in veered off Route 130 and struck a utility pole Tuesday morning.


Al Jones reports

City hall aide Janice Larkin said the crash killed Lt. Christopher Zerby and left Lt. Keith Buckley hospitalized in stable condition.

Zerby, 41, of Robbinsville, was a North Brunswick native who had been on the force for more than 16 years. He was married with two young children. His parents still live in North Brunswick, but were vacationing in Florida at the time of the accident, according to North Brunswick Mayor Francis Womack.

Buckley is 40 and lives in Jackson. He has served on the North Brunswick police force for 18 years.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the crash. Police said the two men were on duty at the time.

The crash happened on Route 130 South, just south of Route 1, shortly after 11 a.m. Investigators believe Buckley was driving the rented Dodge Viper convertible.

Township employees were sent home early Tuesday after learning of Zerby's death.

Flags flew at half-staff at the North Brunswick Police Department.

Zerby was a graduate of North Brunswick High School and started on the police force in 1993. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2005 and was the department's lead traffic safety officer.

Friends and neighbors remembered him as a devoted family man who always helped neighbors and was a constant presence at his parents North Brunswick home.

Inset right: Lt. Keith Buckley