Car Crashes Into Home, Causes Gas Leak In South Brunswick​

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A car crash on Wednesday morning injured two people and caused a gas leak in a South Brunswick neighborhood, resulting in a temporary evacuation of homes.

Around 9:13 a.m. police sent out a message to the residents of Kory Drive asking them to immediately evacuate their homes due to a gas leak.

Police responded to the Brunswick Acres Elementary School at 41 Kory Drive at 8:52 a.m. for a motor vehicle crash.

Arriving officers found a 2014 Toyota Rav-4 had been in the student drop-off lane at Brunswick Acres School when the vehicle went out of control. The car began to rapidly accelerate through the grass, traversed a berm, went partially airborne, and ultimately struck the rear of the residence at 35 Kory Drive.

As a result, the gas main for the house was ruptured, causing a vast amount of natural gas to leak into the home and surrounding area.

The driver, a 37-year-old woman, and a six-year-old boy, both from Kendall Park, were injured. They were taken to an area hospital with moderate injuries.

Kendall Park Fire Department responded and coordinated the evacuation of six homes in the immediate vicinity of the crash. PSE&G responded and assisted with turning off the gas main within twenty minutes of the crash. South Brunswick Code Enforcement determined the home at 35 Kory Drive could not be occupied based on the amount of damage.

Brunswick Acres Elementary School was placed on a shelter-in-place and then resumed normal operations.

“It was the start of the school day and the crash left many people shaken. There was excellent work by all involved to make sure those injured received treatment, homes were evacuated, and the students were kept safe,” South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said. “We are thankful no one was seriously injured in the crash. The coordination by school officials, school resources officers, patrol officers, firefighters and EMS demonstrated the excellent partnership we have.”

South Brunswick Police Traffic Safety PFC Bryan Sites is the lead investigator in the crash. Anyone with information should call (732) 329-4000 ext. 7472.