Crime & Safety

Single-Car Crash Severs Pole, Downs Wires In Barnegat: Police

An Egg Harbor man hit a utility pole Thursday in front of the Wawa on West Bay Avenue in Barnegat as he reached for his drink, police said.

BARNEGAT, NJ — An Egg Harbor man hit a utility pole Thursday in front of the Wawa on West Bay Avenue in Barnegat as he reached for his drink, police said.

He was driving east on West Bay Avenue in a commercial landscaping vehicle with a trailer attached around 12:45 p.m. when it ran off the road, Captain Jason Carroll told Patch.

The driver told police that he was reaching for his drink as the vehicle veered to the right and struck a utility pole in front of the Wawa at Lighthouse Drive and West Bay Avenue.

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The impact of the crash severed the pole in two places and downed wires into the road, Carroll said. No injuries were reported among the driver or his passenger.

JCP&L and Verizon came to repair the pole. The Barnegat Fire Department also responded to the scene.

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Traffic was diverted for a short time causing congestion in the area. Utility crews were finishing the repairs around 9:30 p.m., according to Carroll.

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