Fatal Thanksgiving Crash Still Under Investigation

State police in Trenton say an investigation continues into the one-car crash along Interstate 78 early Thanksgiving morning that killed a Somerville mother, injured her two sons, and killed another woman from Florida. The two brothers remained hospitalized on Monday.

One of the women who died, Natasha Melendez, 20, was identified by state police Public Information Officer Sgt. Adam Grossman as being a resident of Green Acres, Fla.

On Monday, Grossman said the circumstances of the accident, which also killed Tonya Gordon, 44, of Somerville, are still being actively investigated by state police, including troopers from the Somerville barracks and the fatal accident investigation unit, and also by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office, which is involved in all fatal accidents.

Grossman said early on Thanksgiving morning Davante Gordon, 20, of Somerville, Tonya Gordon's son, had been driving westbound when he lost control of his Nissan Maxima near mile marker 33.8. The vehicle apparently ran off the left side of the road and hit two trees at about 2:30 a.m., state police reported then.

Grossman said Gordon then was airlifted to Morristown Medical Center with critical injuries. A hospital spokesman confirmed on Monday afternoon that he remained in the hospital.

Another of Tonya Gordon's sons and the brother of Davante Gordon, an 11-year-old Somerville resident, suffered moderate injuries and also was transported to Morristown Medical Center, according to Grossman. A hospital spokesman confirmed on Monday that the younger brother also remained in the hospital as of early afternoon.

Gordon and Melendez had been pronounced dead at the scene, Grossman said on Thanksgiving.