Route 9 Reopened Following Car Crash

Route 9 has reopened after a one-car accident occurred on Route 9 South early this morning.

At approximately 6:15 a.m. this morning, a 2002 Dodge Dakota pickup operated by Paul Shook, 28, of Barnegat struck a utility pole on Route 9’s northbound shoulder, Lt. James Veltri said.

Shook was taken to Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin after complaining of chest pains, he said.

As a result, the involved telephone pole, located in front of Oyster Creek Generating Station, sustained damage and had low hanging wires, he said.

The police department closed both sides of the roads since wires were hanging low, he said. Route 9 was closed between Beach Boulevard in Lacey and Bay Parkway in Waretown and detours were set up.

Approximately 840 JCP&L customers were without power due to the accident. JCP&L’s outage map showed that power was restored Thursday afternoon.

Oyster Creek also experienced a power outage as two transformers on site went down, spokesperson Suzanne D'Ambrosio said.

"The power loss caused the transformers to overheat," she said. But the plant's reactor was not impacted.

The transformers were for auxiliary office buildings, she said. Critical personnel and equipment that operates the reactor remained intact.

"As a precaution, we called in outside firemen to make sure the transformers were safe," she said. In the meantime, personnell from the affected buildings relocated to on and offsite offices. 

The New Jersey Incident Management Response Team responded and assisted with traffic coordination.

The accident is under investigation.