MEDFORD LAKES, NJ — A police officer rescued a woman from a vehicle that crashed into Ballinger Lake early Monday morning.
Officer Jake Tapia of the Medford Lakes Police Department was conducting a traffic enforcement detail on Stokes Road at approximately 5:04 a.m. when he heard a loud crash followed by a female screaming for help.
Officer Tapia responded to the area near the intersection of Stokes Road and Lenape Trail and discovered a vehicle had left the roadway and crashed into the lake.
The vehicle had traveled approximately 30 feet into the water.
Officer Tapia requested additional emergency resources and entered the lake to rescue the driver.
He swam to the vehicle and assisted the driver, a 25-year-old woman from Lumberton, safely back to the shoreline.
The driver was treated on scene by Lumberton Township EMS and transported to Virtua Mount Holly Hospital for further evaluation.
She was treated and later released.
The vehicle was removed from the lake.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Medford Lakes Police Department Traffic Unit and Detective Bureau.
The Medford Lakes Police Department was assisted by the Medford Township Police Department, Medford Lakes Fire Department, Lumberton Township EMS, Medford Township Fire Department and the Burlington County Health Department.
