State trooper killed in crash in southern New Jersey

QUINTON TOWNSHIP, New Jersey -- A New Jersey state trooper responding to a domestic dispute in rural Salem County was killed Thursday when his car crashed into an electric utility pole.

Trooper Eli McCarson was killed in the single-car crash on Thursday morning in Quinton Township in southern New Jersey, State Police Col. Rick Fuentes said.

His car went off the right side of the road and into a utility pole and he was trapped in the car while rescuers opened the jammed doors, Fuentes said in a statement. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

"This is a tragic loss for us, made even worse during this holiday season, but I know our troopers will not flinch," Fuentes said. "They will continue their duties and answer every call with others in mind, just as Trooper Eli McCarson was doing when he gave his life in the line of duty."

The 30-year-old trooper was recently married, in September. He graduated from the academy in February and worked out of the Woodstown Station.

His exact cause of death had not yet been determined as the investigation continued.

The call that he was headed to at the time of the crash involved a juvenile in mental distress, and that situation was later resolved, said state police Capt. Stephen Jones.