SPARTA TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Sussex County) — A Morris County man was killed early Sunday after his vehicle left Route 15 in Sparta Township, struck a guardrail and overturned in a wooded area, police said.
Sparta Township police said officers responded around 12:45 a.m. Sunday to a reported single-vehicle crash on Route 15 northbound near Layton Lane.
According to a preliminary investigation, a 2025 Kia K4 driven by 21-year-old Ryan Mullins was traveling northbound with two female passengers when, for reasons still under investigation, the vehicle left the roadway.
Police said the vehicle struck a guardrail, became airborne over nearby railroad tracks and came to rest overturned in a wooded area adjacent to the highway.
Mullins was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
The two passengers were able to escape the vehicle and were transported to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation. Both were later released.
Route 15 northbound remained closed for about nine hours while emergency crews secured the scene and investigators examined the crash.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional information was immediately released.
The Sparta Township Police Department was assisted at the scene by the New Jersey State Police and the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office.
