Fuel Spill Shuts Down Rt. 9 In Marlboro Twp. (UPDATED)

MARLBORO, NJ — Nearby businesses, shops and the Goddard nursery school on Rt. 9 in Marlboro Township were evacuated Friday morning after two tanker trucks collided, spilling thousands of gallons of fuel onto the roadway. The road was closed for more than 5 hours.

On Saturday, there were still lane closures on Rt. 9 as authorities were still cleaning up the possible spill of 6,000 gallons of fuel on both sides of the highway, officials said.

The crash happened a little after 10 a.m. on Friday at the intersection of Rt. 9 and Rt. 520, a highly-used intersection.

Witnesses described seeing oil gushing out onto Rt. 9 and police screaming at other drivers to get away from the scene. They described seeing "thousands" of gallons of oil pour onto Rt. 9.

"The smell was horrendous. Felt like we were drinking it!," said witness Lisa Grimaldi, who was nearby when it happened. "My co-worker and I were coming out of the Marlboro shopping center headed toward Rt. 9 north. The truck was pouring whatever it was all onto Rt. 9. We were scared."

"The cops were just arriving and yelling for everyone to get back," wrote one woman who witnessed the crash. "At first I thought it was a water truck but it was definitely some type of oil/gas. It’s all over my car and tires. Luckily no one got hurt. It was pouring out so fast and covered both sides of Rt. 9."

About 6,000 gallons of fuel spilled onto the highway, authorities told The Asbury Park Press. The driver of one of the trucks was taken to a hospital for minor injuries, Marlboro Police Capt. Fred Reck told the APP.

Local businesses along that stretch of Rt. 9 were evacuated, including the Starbucks, Whole Foods and Kohl's, according to Manalapan Township's official Twitter feed. As of 12:15 p.m., New Jersey State Police incident control was en route to the area. By 1 p.m. on Friday, multiple fire trucks were on the scene and a foam truck was being requested from the Hazlet fire department. The foam will be used to clean up the oil.

Rt. 9 between Union Hill and Texas roads has been shut down for hours now, in both directions, due to the accident. It will remain closed likely through early evening while the spill is cleaned, Hornik told The Press.

“We’re hoping to have the intersection open for rush-hour traffic but it could go into the evening," Capt. Reck told the Asbury Park Press.

Use caution or avoid the area.

Marlboro police have not gotten back to Patch yet to give any additional details.