An elderly driver and passenger have been hospitalized after a 50-pound dumbbell smashed through the windshield of his car while travelling on the New Jersey Turnpike, state police said.

Jack Decarlo, 75, was airlifted to Crozer Regional Trauma Center in Upland, Pennsylvania, following the incident, where he's in critical condition.

'Shocked. Couldn't believe it. You never think something (like that is) going to happen', Decarlo's son Jim told FOX 29.

A 50-pound dumbbell mysteriously smashed through the windshield of Jack Decarlo's SUV

Decarlo, 75, suffered facial injuries and was airlifted to Crozer Regional Trauma Center in Upland, Pennsylvania, following the incident, where he's in critical condition

The New Jersey Turnpike was closed in both directions after the crash, but has reopened

Decarlo suffered facial injuries and his wife, passenger Patricia Decarlo, 57, was only mildly injured, said Sgt Jeff Flynn, of the New Jersey State Police.

Their SUV was heading southbound in Oldmans Township near mile marker 6.6 in Salem County at about 7:15 am on Monday when the dumbbell smashed into the windshield, New Jersey State Police Trooper Lawrence Peele told the New York Post.

Authorities are unsure where the dumbbell came from.

'We’re still trying to determine that', said Peele. 'The detectives on scene are investigating all possibilities at this point'.