Van Veers Off Barnegat Boulevard To Avoid Small Animal: Police

A driver swerved into a utility pole in Barnegat on Friday to avoid hitting a small animal. The driver thought it was a cat, police said.

Posted Mon, Apr 19, 2021 at 11:32 am ET|Updated Mon, Apr 19, 2021 at 11:52 am ET

BARNEGAT, NJ — A driver swerved into a utility pole in Barnegat on Friday morning to avoid hitting a small animal, police said.

A 40-year-old female in a 2009 Honda Odyssey was driving north on Barnegat Boulevard at 10:35 a.m., Captain Jason Carroll told Patch.

To avoid hitting a small animal, she veered off the road. Her vehicle struck a traffic sign and a utility pole.

The driver thought the animal was a cat, police said.

Her 15-year-old son was in the front passenger seat during the crash. No injuries were reported, Carroll said.

The pole’s base was broken from the impact of the crash.

Verizon was still making repairs to the pole on Friday at 8 p.m. while the road remained open.

Keep up to date with what's happening in your community by subscribing to your local Patch newsletter here.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.