2 Injured, Truck Overturns In Church Road Crash As Traffic Signal Fails In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Two people were injured in a crash on Church Road that happened when traffic signals were not working due to a power outage in the area Monday morning, Toms River police said.

The crash happened about 10 a.m. at the intersection with North Bay Avenue, Lt. Scott Moeller said.

One vehicle was headed south on North Bay Avenue and the second was headed east on Church Road, and the vehicle on North Bay hit the one on Church Road, causing the large truck to overturn, Lt. Scott Moeller said.

Both drivers reported minor injuries and one was taken to the hospital, he said.

The traffic signal was not functioning at the time because of a power outage in the area. Christopher Hoenig, a spokesman for Jersey Central Power & Light, said the outage was due to a breaker that malfunctioned.

More than 2,500 homes in Toms River and Lakewood were without electric service during the outage, which lasted from 7:30 a.m. to about 11:30 a.m., Hoenig said.

Anyone who has information pertaining to the crash is asked to call Traffic Safety Officer Ryan Fitzgerald at 732-349-0150, ext. 1399.