Famed rock guitarist dies after 90-year-old woman backed into tree in Bridgewater

BRIDGEWATER – A famed rock guitarist has died after a car driven by a 90-year-old woman struck a tree on private property off Chimney Rock Road in the Martinsville section early Wednesday morning.

Police have identified the crash victim as 61-year-old Bridgewater resident Karl Cochran, whose obituary called his musical career “nothing short of legendary.”

He was known for his work with KISS’s Ace Frehley, co-writing the song “Into The Void” on the “Psycho Circus” album. Cochran also collaborated with Joe Lynn Turner, Nuclear Assault, The Eric Singer Project, and many others, according to the obituary.

“Karl was not only a remarkable musician but also a wonderful human being whose kindness, generosity, and humor left a lasting impression on everyone he met,” the obituary continued.

Around 7:20 a.m., township police responded to reports of a car crash into a tree with a passenger ejection, Bridgewater Police Officer Cole Taggert said.

A preliminary investigation found that 90-year-old Arna Cochran, of Bound Brook, was driving a 2015 Subaru Legacy when she backed the vehicle across the front yard and struck a tree, ejecting the passenger.

According to social media posts, the driver was the victim’s mother.

More: Morris County man killed in one-car crash on Route 202 in Branchburg

The passenger, identified as Cochran, was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick by helicopter with serious injuries, Taggert said.

The crash is under investigation.

Anyone with information should contact Bridgewater Police Traffic Safety Bureau Officer Cole Taggert at 908-722-4111 ext. 4088 or the Bridgewater TIPS line at 877-660-INFO (4636).

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Rock guitarist dies after woman, 90, backed into tree in Bridgewater