ROBBINSVILLE — Imagine that one minute you're driving north on the New Jersey Turnpike and the next minute there's a tire coming straight at you.

That's what happened to the driver of a Chevy Malibu Friday afternoon near Exit 7A (Route 195) in Robbinsville.

A wheel and tire that came loose from a Nissan sedan also traveling north hit the roof and windshield of the Malibi in the inner lanes just before 3 p.m. A photo shows the roof badly caved in and the windshield shattered after the impact.

Car on the NJ Turnpike after being struck by a tire 8/11/23
Car on the NJ Turnpike after being struck by a tire 8/11/23 (Dennis Symons, MidJersey.news)
loading...

Why did the tire come loose?

State Police did not disclose the identities of the drivers or what caused the tire to come loose.

The driver of the Chevy suffered minor non-life-threatening injuries.

MidJersey.news was first to report on the incident.

A passenger in a northbound SUV was killed in November when the left front tire came off a southbound SUV, bounced over the center divider and smashed into the northbound vehicle's windshield. Both vehicles were Acura RDXs.

Car on the NJ Turnpike after being struck by a tire 8/11/23
Car on the NJ Turnpike after being struck by a tire 8/11/23 (Dennis Symons, MidJersey.news)
loading...

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom

LOOK: The longest highways in America

Stacker compiled a list of the longest interstates in the United States using 2021 data from the Federal Highway Administration. Read on to find out which ones are the lengthiest.

Wait, there's a law? Why PA drivers have no excuse in NJ

For New Jersey drivers, this one might be an eye-opener.

Your hurricane emergency kit: what to pack

More From SoJO 104.9 FM