Motorcyclist Dies After Route 22 Crash

A Piscataway resident died Saturday after striking a light post on Route 22 West when he lost control of his motorcycle at 9:43 p.m.

According to Bridgewater police, Pablo Ojedamora, 27, was traveling on his motorcycle in the left lane on Route 22 West when he lost control and veered off into the left shoulder of the road. Police said Ojedamora then went off the road into the center median before striking a light post.

The light post, police said, broke at the base and fell onto Route 22 West between Chimney Rock Road and Frontier Road.

Immediately following the crash, police said, Ojedamora was transported to Somerset Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.

Bridgewater Township Police Officer Paul Payne said the cause of the crash is still under investigation, and it is unknown why Ojedamora lost control of his motorcycle. Payne said no charges have been filed in connection with the crash.

Payne said the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has already been contacted about the post that was knocked down in the accident, but he does not know when it will be fixed.

"But we were able to move it, so it's not blocking the road," he said. "It held up traffic until about 3 a.m., but there was constant movement, and traffic moved at a steady pace."

Payne said the downed post only caused minor delays, but the fact that it was knocked down was not a surprise.

This post, Payne said, is usually knocked down between three and four times a year because it is located directly near a u-turn to travel from one side of Route 22 to the other. He said drivers often take the turn too quickly and sideswipe other vehicles, sometimes causing them to hit the post itself.

Because of this and dangers at other u-turns on Route 22, Payne said, the NJDOT has been looking into eliminating all of them on the highway in Bridgewater.

"They will eventually get rid of all the u-turns in Bridgewater," he said. "They are slowly getting rid of them."

Payne said the NJDOT has been working on the project for more than six years to get rid of the turns.

Anyone with information on Saturday's incident is asked to contact Payne in the Bridgewater Township Police Department Traffic Safety Bureau at 908-722-4111, ext. 4148.