Black Horse Pike Accident: Good Samaritans remember Egg Harbor Township fire accident that killed a pregnant woman and another person

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (WPVI) — Two people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in a multi-vehicle crash in South Jersey on Friday evening.

Numerous people were injured in the fire accident, but many were rescued thanks to the quick work of Good Samaritans on site.

It happened shortly before 8:30 p.m. in the 8000 block of Black Horse Pike in the West Atlantic City section of Egg Harbor Township.

According to police, a silver 2017 Nissan Sentra was traveling westbound on Black Horse Pike when it unexpectedly veered into the eastbound lane.

Officials believe the driver was driving in the wrong direction.

The silver Nissan then allegedly collided head-on with a 2018 Kia Forte. The Kia was then pushed backwards into a red 2020 Nissan Sentra, police said.

Authorities also said a fourth vehicle – a silver 2019 Toyota Yaris – was struck by debris thrown from one of the vehicles.

According to police, the silver Nissan caught fire as a result of the head-on collision.

Several drivers and witnesses stopped to help the occupants out of the burning vehicle.

Good Samaritans, including Lisa Bonanno, pulled people from the car before it burst into flames.

“It was chaos. Nobody knew what to do,” Bonanno recalls. “There was no one there to help, so people took matters into their own hands. That restored my faith in humanity.”

She says she is grateful to the others who helped her get people to safety. Bonanno also remembered how terrifying the flames were up close.

“There were some men there. They were the real heroes, they really put in the effort. They got everybody out. They had trouble getting the last one out, so I tried to lure them away from the car. It was about to explode,” Bonanno said.

Another Good Samaritan rushed to help the passengers of the silver Nissan.

The bystander, identified as Chris Wilson, is currently recovering from his injuries in hospital. He helped pull a teenager from the burning car.

“I just heard the kid screaming. You could hear in his voice that he wanted to live. He just wanted to live, but he couldn’t get out of the car, so we did everything we could,” Wilson recalled.

Authorities said on Saturday that two people were killed in the crash.

One of the victims was identified as 21-year-old Escarlin Suriel of Atlantic City, who had been driving 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, 27-year-old Francisco Nin, who was also riding in the Kia, was taken to hospital with serious injuries after the accident.

The second victim was identified by police as 22-year-old Gabriella Constrantino, who was a passenger in the silver Nissan.

According to investigators, two teenage passengers in the silver Nissan were taken to hospital and are in critical condition.

Another passenger, a 25-year-old man, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Finally, two passengers of the red Nissan were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

While authorities investigate the accident, Bonanno and Wilson say the incident will always stay with them.

“I couldn’t sleep at night because I felt like I could have stayed longer and done more, but the reality was I couldn’t and that was difficult for everyone,” Bonanno said.

“It was just unreal. I’m glad the young people who are still here still have a chance,” Wilson added.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.