05/17/2026
Press release: Route 15 crash
On Sunday, May 17, 2026, at approximately 12:45 a.m., officers from the Sparta Township Police Department responded to a reported single-vehicle motor vehicle crash on Route 15 northbound in the area of Layton Lane.
A preliminary investigation revealed that a 2025 Kia K4, operated by 21-year-old Ryan Mullins of Morris Township, was traveling northbound on Route 15 with two female passengers when, for reasons still under investigation, the vehicle left the roadway. The vehicle subsequently struck a guardrail, became airborne over adjacent railroad tracks, and came to rest overturned in a wooded area near the highway.
Mr. Mullins was pronounced deceased at the scene. The two passengers were able to safely self-extricate from the vehicle and were transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment. Both individuals were later released.
Route 15 northbound was closed for approximately nine hours while emergency personnel secured the scene and investigators conducted the crash investigation.
The crash remains under investigation. No additional information is being released at this time.
The Sparta Township Police Department was assisted at the scene by the New Jersey State Police and the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office.
