Excavator Accident At Oyster Creek Caused Power Outages

LACEY, NJ — An excavator moving Jersey barriers brought down utility wires Monday at the Oyster Creek Generating Station and caused power outages in Lacey and surrounding towns, police said Thursday.

Lacey police responded to the rear property of Oyster Creek around 1 p.m. An operator of an excavator knocked into utility wires while moving Jersey barriers, police said.

The operator, who was not injured, remained inside the machine while Jersey Central Power & Light crews shut down power, according to police.

The outage was required to de-energize a sub transmission line after the construction vehicle made contact with customer owned equipment, Ocean Township police said.

Power outages from the downed wires impacted about 30,000 homes in Berkeley, Lacey, Barnegat and Waretown. Power was restored for most customers by 4 p.m., according to JCP&L.

The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department also provided backup and assisted with directing traffic at local intersections until the power was restored, police said.

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