The situation with a bloodied woman screaming for help from inside the truck was a misunderstanding

Aug 05, 2022, 2:56 am Updated 5 hours ago

By: News 12 Staff

A situation involving a bloodied woman screaming for help from inside a tractor trailer turned out to be a major misunderstanding, according to police.

South Brunswick police said a witness reported seeing a woman in her 20s, who appeared to be covered in blood, calling for help from inside a white tractor-trailer cab. It happened Wednesday afternoon on Route 130 in South Brunswick near the Dayton Toyota dealership.

The tip sparked a massive effort to find the woman, the driver and the truck.

But police now say the woman and the driver are married. They say the investigation revealed the woman was standing inside the truck and fell and hit her head while turning a sharp curve on Route 130 South.

The Volvo tow truck was towed to the South Brunswick Police Department Thursday evening after it was identified.

“About 5:10 tonight we made contact with all the individuals involved,” said Det. Sergeant Tim Hoover.

The man and woman were found at their home in the Iselin neighborhood of Woodbridge. Police say after questioning them, detectives learned the truck had been stopped before the woman was injured and panicked. They say the witness did not understand what he was seeing.

Police say the husband pulled his wife over and drove off to help her. They actually went to Rite Aid for bandages, a fact police confirmed.

The couple had just driven from Gabrielli Trucking across the street where they were buying a battery. Surveillance video from that company helped police track the truck and the two inside.

“We have to give Gabrielli Trucking Sales a lot of credit,” says Deputy Director Jim Ryan. “They put together a video. This video is from 15 minutes before the video we gave out yesterday, which puts the man and woman in that place.”

Police say when they found this couple, they didn’t know they were wanted.

Police say the story is being verified. They say that after the fall, the wife even sent a picture of her daughter’s injury to tell her what happened.