Bedminster is Dormant, Police Chief Says

With a majority of the town currently dark, Bedminster Police Chief Pat Ussery said the town is still fairly dormant as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, with no guarantee as to when power will return.

"JCP&L crews have been out all day to clear the roadways," he said. "They have to get the lines ready to be worked on because they are not all energized."

Ussery said there is currently no estimate on the timeframe before power is returned to the town that is seeing 3,689 locations without power, according to JCP&L reports.

"We are only optimistic because they're working like hell to get the energy up and running," he said.

Ussery said there have fortunately been no fires or injuries thus far, but an elderly woman was taken Wednesday afternoon to the shelter at Bernards High School because she was uncomfortable in the dark.

Most of the businesses in town, Ussery said, are also suffering from no power, and remain dark at this point.

"The businesses are mostly out," he said.

Kings opened Wednesday, Ussery said, and was selling non-perishables, while A&P was also open for a while.

As for the roads, Ussery said, Route 206 reopened at 1 p.m. where it had been shut down around Old Dutch Road.

All of the major thoroughfares—including Burnt Mills Road, Lamington Road and others—are open, Ussery said. There are only problems on the interior roads, like Cedar Ridge.

"Drivers need to take extreme caution, and heed road closed signs or they will get in a difficult spot," he said.

Ussery said he also hopes that residents are mindful of neighboring properties and suspicious behavior.

"Call in anything suspicious," he said. "We are relying on the population to call in any suspicious activity."