Police ID victim in Mt. Arlington crash

MOUNT ARLINGTON – Authorities have identified the victim in a crash that occurred Wednesday afternoon on Howard Boulevard at the boundary of Roxbury and Mount Arlington.

Kenneth Hafley, 56, of Rockaway Township, was killed in a single-vehicle accident just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, Mount Arlington police Lt. Edward LaBruno said.

Haflee was driving a Honda Accord southbound on Howard Boulevard, passing under the Route 80 bridges, before crashing into a wall past the Route 80 east ramp underneath the Mount Arlington railroad station bridge, LaBruno said.

“We’re not sure if a medical episode occurred or not,” LaBruno said. “But a witness, an officer on the scene, said the driver of the vehicle made no attempt to maneuver.”

Nobody else was injured in the crash, LaBruno said.

The accident occurred in Mount Arlington, just over the boundary from Roxbury, and Roxbury Lt. Marc Palanchi conducted the investigation for the county’s Fatal Accident Response Team, LaBruno said.

The ramp to Route 80 East was closed for the investigation for less than two hours Wednesday afternoon, LaBruno said.

The state Department of Transportation was notified of the accident as was NJ Transit because of the proximity of the railroad to the bridge, which was inspected for defects.

While some concrete had been knocked loose, steel beams that hold the bridge together remain intact so there is no structural damage, LaBruno said.

Staff Writer Michael Izzo: 973-428-6636; mizzo@dailyrecord.com