Winds Leave Ocean County Mall, Parts Of Toms River In Dark

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Power outages caused by strong winds left Ocean County Mall in the dark Friday evening, and disrupted traffic signals across Toms River, police said.

Ocean County Mall officials announced about 5:30 p.m. that the mall was shutting down because much of it was in the dark. The power outage plunged the parking lots into darkness, though BJ's Brewhouse and LA Fitness were open and operating.

"Due to a power outage in the area, Ocean County Mall will be closed this evening," a post on the mall's Facebook page said. "We will resume business hours at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday 2/8/20. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Power was restored to most areas by 9 p.m.

The power outages started affecting parts of Toms River in the mid-afternoon and dragged on well into the evening.

Community Medical Center used its generators after losing power. "We are fully staffed and all patients are being cared for," hospital officials said in a post on Facebook. "Jersey Central Power & Light are assessing the situation and working to resolve it." The power was restored to the hospital as of 5:30 p.m.

Toms River police directed traffic at some intersections, the police department said. At others, the power disruption caused a peculiar effect: the lights showing red and green at the same time. That happened at the intersection of Hooper Avenue and Bay Avenue. When the green light came on for east-west traffic on Bay Avenue, the red light on the signal remained lit. The traffic north and south on Hooper Avenue had only red lights on the signals, which seemed to prevent any serious confusion or issues.

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