Ayzia J. Toledo was behind the wheel of a BMW on southbound Route 55 in Deptford Township when it left the road at 10:55 p.m. on Sunday, July 5. She and her friend Henrietta F. Carter, both 22, did not survive.
New Jersey State Police say Toledo, from Bristol, Pennsylvania, lost control, and the car ran off to the left, rolled over and hit a tree. Carter, from Darby, Pennsylvania, sat in the front passenger seat. A third passenger in the rear was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Fox 29 put the crash at milepost 57.1. CBS Philadelphia reported that no other vehicles appeared to be involved.
Trooper Christopher Postorino told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the families had been notified. The Inquirer also noted that the crash caused no traffic delays. Troopers have not said what caused Toledo to lose control, and the investigation is still open. The name of the rear-seat passenger has not been released.
Two lives, two families
Carter had been an entrepreneur since high school, her family told WPVI, and had recently opened a beauty salon in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Kemah Carter-Wesley, described her as “the most selfless, the most loving, the most kind.” She pointed to her daughter’s middle name. “She was just Love. She embodied it,” she said.
Carter’s father, Ekena Wesley, said she “passionately wanted to be a makeup artist.” He added a thought for anyone who knew her: “Tomorrow is not promised, and because it’s not promised, you seize the moment now and do the best you can and leave a mark. Love left a mark.”
Toledo worked as a social media model and influencer, according to her family. Fox 29 reported that she was known online as Ayzia J and had more than 300,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, where she described herself as a TV personality, content creator and model. Relatives wrote on a GoFundMe page that she was building an incredible future and made everyone around her feel loved. By the time WPVI published on Tuesday, July 7, that campaign had raised nearly $8,000.
A stretch of road with a recent history
The Inquirer recalled that three teenagers, among them a student and a graduate of Delsea Regional High School, died last March in a separate crash on northbound Route 55 in Elk Township.
Troopers say no further information is available at this time. Community members, WPVI reported, have begun rallying around both families.
Sources
- Two women killed in Route 55 crash in Deptford Township (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
- Ayzia Toledo, Henrietta Carter identified after being killed in crash on Route 55 in Deptford Township, Gloucester County (6abc Philadelphia / WPVI)
- 2 killed in crash on Route 55 in Deptford Township, New Jersey State Police say (CBS News Philadelphia)
- Influencer Ayzia J and Henrietta Carter killed in New Jersey car crash (FOX 29 Philadelphia)
