PALMYRA, NJ — A South Jersey man died early Sunday when he sped through traffic gates and crashed while trying to cross the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, authorities said.
Ethan Knorr, 20, of Cherry Hill, was the driver killed in the early-morning crash, officials told Patch. The drawbridge was descending and closed to traffic.
Knorr tried to access the bridge from the Philadelphia side when he drove through a pair of closed traffic gates and around a marked police car, police said. The traffic gates had warning lights flashing and audible signals going off.
The driver stuck the leaf of the bridge and died on impact, police said.
No other people or vehicles were involved in the crash. The bridge was not damaged.
The bridge, which links Palmyra and Phiadelphia's Tacony neighborhood, was temporarily closed in both directions after the crash.
The Burlington County Bridge Commission Police Department led the investigation, while several agencies responded to the incident. Sean P. Hasson, the department's director of public safety, thanked all agencies who provided mutual aid.