Funeral arrangements announced for NJ State Trooper killed in crash

MILLVILLE, N.J. (WTXF) - Funeral arrangements have been announced for the New Jersey state trooper killed in a head-on crash.

Trooper Frankie Williams, 31, was on a call, heading northbound on Route 55 in Millville at 6:59pm Monday.

That's when the driver of a Toyota Corolla heading south - apparently also at a high rate of speed -- crossed the grass median, into the northbound lanes, hitting Trooper Williams' patrol car head-on.

The driver of the second car has been identified as Lloyd Rudley, 61, of Elmer New Jersey. Rudley was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to police, Rudley's car matched witness descriptions of a vehicle that was driving erratically in the area. Trooper Williams was responding to the erratic driver complaint at the time of the crash.

Trooper Williams was flown to Cooper University Hospital in Camden where he later died.

State Police say 31-year-old Williams just joined the force in January and was quick on his feet. Over the summer, he broke a car window to save a dog locked inside on a hot summer day. He was assigned to Port Norris Station in Cumberland County.

Williams was a newlywed, just married in September. He graduated from George Jenkins High School in Lakeland, Florida, in 2001.

Trooper Williams was the third South Jersey trooper killed on the job in the past year.