A Colorado man accused of driving the wrong way on the New Jersey Turnpike and causing a head-on collision that killed four yeshiva bochurim early Sunday has been charged with multiple counts of manslaughter.

Christopher Neff, 41, of Westminster, Colorado, was charged Tuesday with four counts of first-degree manslaughter and three counts of second-degree reckless death by auto.

State Police say Neff was driving north in the southbound lanes of the Turnpike near Carneys Point around 12:40 a.m. when his white Dodge Ram pickup slammed head-on into a black Mazda CX-5 carrying four teenage boys. Moments later, an oncoming tractor-trailer struck the wrecked SUV, compounding the devastation.

The impact tragically killed all four occupants of the Mazda: Yaakov Kilberg z”l, 19, who was driving, Aharon Nosson Lebovits z”l, 18, and Shlomo Abba Cohen z”l, 18 — all from Lakewood — and Chaim Simcha Grossman z”l, 18, of Fallsburg, New York.

Neff sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he remains under treatment. The tractor-trailer driver was not injured.

Investigators have not disclosed whether drugs, alcohol, or excessive speed played a role in the crash. State Police and the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office are continuing to probe the circumstances surrounding Neff’s wrong-way driving.

The crash occurred near milepost 1.3, close to the Delaware Memorial Bridge — a section of highway that sees heavy overnight truck traffic. Authorities temporarily closed the southbound lanes for several hours as first responders, including Misaskim volunteers, worked to recover the victims and coordinate with families to ensure kavod hameis.

If convicted, Neff faces decades in prison. He is expected to make his first court appearance later this week in Salem County Superior Court.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)