Police officers from every municipality along Route 70, along with the Ocean County Sheriff's Office, are targeting dangerous, speeding and aggressive drivers.

The goal is to bring the number of fatalities and injuries to zero.

“[Driving on Route 70 is] absolutely horrible. People run red lights all the time,” said Mark Petrillo, of Manchester Township.

Ocean County residents tell News 12 that they are angry over the recent highway deaths.

“In the eight years, I've never heard of so many people getting killed around here. Like, they are getting killed here. It's ridiculous,” said Carol Wilton, of Manchester.

Wilton, a server at JB’S Diner in Manchester on Route 70, lost her sister at just 19 years old from a drunk driver.

“Because of that I have no mercy for these people when they do what they do out there,” she said.

Officials say Ocean County leads the state in traffic-related deaths this year, at 15 deaths so far in 2025.

“I think the public wants law enforcement to go out and enforce the laws,” said Manchester Township Police Chief Antonio Ellis.

Ellis took the successful Goal: Zero program started in Monmouth County last year, and brought it to Ocean County.

“The goal of this program in Ocean County is to have a high visibility enforcement initiative that lets the public know that we are out there trying to reduce, if not stop, fatal crashes and accidents on those main roads,” Ellis said.

“I think it's absolutely awesome. It'll definitely save lives considering what's happened in the past few weeks,” added Petrillo.

“It's constant. It's ridiculous. Something has to be done,” said Wilton.

Goal: Zero will take place on the last Thursday of each month into the summer. Future campaigns will target other trouble spots like Routes 37, 9, 35, and 539.

News 12 first covered Goal: Zero in Monmouth County as it tackled Route 34, stretching from Wall Township to Matawan in 2024. Holmdel Police Patrolman Matthew Menosky helped get every municipality along Route 34 to add extra enforcement and signage along the highway. Each week, police focused on another stretch of dangerous roads, including Routes 9, 18, and 71, during the evening rush hour commute.

According to state police records traffic deaths across New Jersey are down this year by 22% compared to this date in 2024.