TOMS RIVER and SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ — A power outage that knocked electricity to traffic signals in downtown Toms River and along Routes 37 and 35 on Friday was the result of a motor vehicle crash in Seaside Heights, utility officials said.
The crash happened about 1 p.m. in Seaside Heights. Christopher Hoenig, a spokesman for Jersey Central Power & Light, said a vehicle hit a utility pole that carries high-voltage transmission lines.
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“It shook the wires hard enough that it triggered protective devices,” Hoenig said. It led to the outage that extended as far as a substation that powers traffic signals in downtown Toms River, he said. “Those (transmission lines) run from substation to substation,” he said, and damage to one can affect multiple substations and a larger area.
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Initial repairs had restored most of the service by 2:30 p.m., Hoenig said. An outage on Pelican Island that was affecting about 200 homes was expected to last longer while repairs are made.
Details about the crash and any injuries have been requested from Seaside Heights police.
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