A man was found deceased in the roadway early this morning after being run over by a dump truck on South Hope Chapel Road, authorities said.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Jackson Township police officers responded to the area of South Hope Chapel Road at approximately 2:30 a.m. this morning following a report of a motor vehicle crash involving a pedestrian.

Upon arrival, officers discovered an adult male in the roadway suffering from significant head injuries. Emergency responders attempted to render aid, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Jackson Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit determined that a Mack dump truck was traveling northbound on South Hope Chapel Road when the driver observed what he initially believed to be debris in the roadway.

Authorities said the driver attempted to avoid the object but then realized it was a body lying in the roadway. Despite efforts to avoid it, the truck traveled over the victim. The driver immediately stopped and notified law enforcement.

Investigators found no evidence that the victim had been struck by the front of the truck. Rather, officials said the physical evidence indicates the body was already lying in the roadway when the truck ran over it and dragged it a short distance.

The circumstances surrounding how the victim came to be in the roadway remain under investigation.

The investigation is being conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Jackson Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office.